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Leading Whitehall role will be Cooper's reward for constant show of support
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent05.06.09
Rising Labour star Yvette Cooper was today set to take the helm of a major Whitehall department.
She was due to be one of the big winners of the reshuffle with Gordon Brown giving her a big-spending department to run.
Speculation was sweeping Westminster that she could take over at health or education.
In a startling sign of her loyalty to the Prime Minister, Ms Cooper was accused by senior Labour backbencher Barry Sheerman of ringing round his constituency party members urging them to call him to book after he demanded a secret ballot of MPs over Mr Brown's future.
Ms Cooper's promotion from Chief Secretary at the Treasury is a reward for her loyalty to the Prime Minister who has trusted her with a key role in tackling the recession.
Week after week, photogenic Ms Cooper has appeared on TV to defend the actions that the embattled Government is taking to protect families, jobs and other individuals from the impact of the downturn.
"People across the Cabinet and across the Labour Party are showing their strong support for the Prime Minister and for his authority," she told GMTV this morning as Mr Brown's allies launched the fightback against the rebels.
"I don't think there is anybody who has got the same kind of international economic experience to lead us through something, that for the first time the whole world has gone into recession since the Second World War."
Moving Ms Cooper from the Treasury would have been part of any plans to install Ed Balls as Chancellor as it would have been highly unusual for a husband and wife MP couple to both be ministers in the same department.
Under the scenario that Mr Balls did replace Alistair Darling running the Treasury, Ms Cooper and her husband are understood to have decided not to move into No11 with their three children.
With Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and children's minister Beverley Hughes standing down, Mr Brown has to promote several women into the male-dominated Cabinet.
Reader views (4)
Another Braon mistake, which the populace will let him know about. Rewarding the two house claimers will not sit well with the electorate.
- Thetruthman, United Kingdom
Come on you blinkered labour supporters, the Titanic's band was playing as the ship sank. So sing up you Labour supporters another chorus of the communist hit song "THE RED FLAG". Your parties adopted song. You are allowed to sing as you sink.
"Out of sight we the sensible people of our land hope"
- Thetruthman, United Kingdom
Is it worth it? By the time the paint is dry on the new door signs, they will have gone to join their "boss" (cue for laughter) in oblivion. And even there, nobody will vote Labour.
- .Lezl, London / ENGLAND
WHAT A PATHETIC GAGGLE OF MUPPETS WE HAVE RIPPING OFF JOE PUBLIC AT EVERY TURN.
BALLS AND COOPER NEED TO BE ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH FRAUD.
JACKBOOT STRAW NEEDS TO BE ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOR GROSS MISFEASANCE IN PUBLIC OFFICE.
WHERE ARE THE POLICE?
WHERE ARE THE HANDCUFFS?
ONE LAW FOR JOE PUBLIC AND A DIFFERENT LAW FOR MP's.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe, Lancaster
