Darling will stay as Chancellor; Johnson to Home Secretary; Burnham goes to Health; Ainsworth to Defence

Darling Budget 09From @LabourList

UPDATE: Alan Sugar will take up a position advising the Government on Enterprise

UPDATE: Cofirmed positions:

Chancellor: Alistair Darling

Home Secretary: Alan Johnson

Foreign Secretary: David Miliband

Justice Secretary: Jack Straw

Business: Peter Mandelson

Defence: Bob Ainsworth

Health: Andy Burnham

Schools: Ed Balls

Work & Pensions: Yvette Cooper

Communities: John Denham

Culture: Ben Bradshaw

Climate Change: Ed Miliband

Which leaves: Harriet Harman, Hilary Benn, Caroline Flint. Angela Smith is also tipped for promotion.

UPDATE: Alan Johnson has accepted the job as Home Secretary.

Sky News is reporting that Alistair Darling will remain as Chancellor in today’s cabinet reshuffle. Reports had circulated that Ed Balls would be promoted to that position, after Gordon Brown had refused to back Darling in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Yvette Cooper could be due for a promotion in the reshuffle, as could Harriet Harman and Caroline Flint, two women who have been loyal to the PM over the last few difficult days. Cooper is tipped to take James Purnell’s job at the Department for Work and Pensions.

Alan Johnson, meanwhile, has said that Gordon Brown remains “the right man for the job”, and that it’s “vital that we unite for the Party and the Government”.

More from LabourList

DONATE HERE

We provide our content free, but providing daily Labour news, comment and analysis costs money. Small monthly donations from readers like you keep us going. To those already donating: thank you.

If you can afford it, can you join our supporters giving £10 a month?

And if you’re not already reading the best daily round-up of Labour news, analysis and comment…

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY EMAIL