Hain is back as Welsh secretary
By politics.co.uk staff
Peter Hain is back in the Cabinet as Wales secretary and will succeed Paul Murphy, it has been confirmed.
Mr Hain had been work and pensions secretary before resigning last year over the registration of donations for his deputy leadership campaign.
“I have returned to the Cabinet to help ensure that we recover from a dreadful period for Labour and for parliamentary democracy,” he said, speaking from his constituency.
The 59 year old Neath MP had been Wales secretary from 2002 to 2008 and is succeeding Paul Murphy as part of the prime minister’s Cabinet reshuffle.
“For a Welsh MP it is a real privilege to be secretary of state for Wales again and I pay tribute to Paul Murphy who has been a close and valued friend for nearly 20 years and an outstanding servant of the Labour party,” he said.
“We must rebuild trust and explain to the British people the serious dangers of the Tories’ old right wing policies, especially their plans for savage public spending cuts.”
In 2008, failures to register donations in his campaign to become deputy leader of Labour were deemed “serious and substantial” by the Commons standards watchdog and led to his resignation.
“He’s unquestionably the best person to lead this country. I believe not only ministers recognise that but I believe the overwhelming mass of Labour MPs believe that as well,” Wales office minister Wayne David said to the BBC.
“Many ministers, many members of the Parliamentary Labour party, stand absolutely firmly behind Gordon Brown. He’s got the policies, the perspective and the strength to take us forward.”
Work and pensions secretary James Purnell, Peter Hain’s successor called for Gordon Brown to stand down last night after leaving the Cabinet himself.
