Britain's Brown forms new government



LONDON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown formed his first government Thursday, appointing a close ally as the treasury chief and a rising Labour star as the Foreign Secretary in a sweeping reshuffle.



Alistair Darling, former Trade and Industry Secretary in Tony Blair's final cabinet, succeeded Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer.



The 53-year-old politician was known for his delicate balancing of relations with both Blair and Brown. While having strong links with Blair, Darling was also regarded as loyal to Brown.



Brown, who had been the treasury chief for a decade, became the British Prime Minister Wednesday after his predecessor Tony Blair stepped down on the same day.



David Miliband has been appointed Foreign Secretary in Brown's new cabinet, the youngest to hold the post in nearly 30 years.



"I'm tremendously honored and absolutely delighted to be asked by the new Prime Minister to become the new Foreign Secretary," Miliband said outside the Foreign Office after he was offered what is one of the high-profile jobs in government.



An Oxford graduate, Miliband was the Environment Secretary in Blair's final cabinet. The 41-year-old politician not only managed to survive the reshuffle, but also got promoted to a more prominent post making himself the youngest Foreign Secretary since the late 1970s when David Owen was in office.



The rising Labour star had been regarded as a possible future Labour Party leader. Speculation had been rife that Miliband might challenge Brown in the leadership race, before he publicly ruled out plans to vie for the top job in April.



Miliband's younger brother, Ed Miliband also became a minister, making them the first pair of brothers in the cabinet since the 1920s.



As Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, Ed Miliband, 37, served as the Prime Minister's official spokesman to the media.



Another prominent appointment was Jacqui Smith, the first ever female Home Secretary in Britain.



The House of Commons leader Jack Straw, who served as Brown's leadershipcampaign chief, remained in the cabinet as Justice Secretary.



The new cabinet was formed without a deputy prime minister, a post previously held by John Prescott.



In his first speech as Prime Minister Wednesday, Brown said he would form "a new government with new priorities," indicating a possible dramatic shakeup of the government.



Up to 11 members of the old cabinet failed to remain on Brown's new team, including Blair and Prescott.



The Department for Trade and Industry was abolished and the Department for Education and Skills was split into two new departments, while a third new department was created.



The new cabinet led by Brown is composed of 22 members. Seven more lower-ranking officials can also attend cabinet meetings.
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