In a statement, Alan Johnson MP said:
"I have decided to resign from the shadow cabinet for personal reasons to do with my family."Today's announcement follows several recent gaffes by Alan Johnson when discussing tax and economic matters, including a recent in an interview when didn't know the rate of National Insurance paid by employers!
Rumours are rife in Westminster about why Johnson has gone. Guido has more details.
So, Ed Miliband is forced into reshuffling his titanic team - Alan Johnson is replaced by Ed Balls, previously the shadow home secretary. Mr Balls' wife, Yvette Cooper, takes over at home affairs, Douglas Alexander becomes shadow foreign secretary and Tessa Jowell becomes shadow Cabinet Office minister.
So, Balls gets a promotion - Gordon Brown's left hand man gets what he wants.
Liam Byrne, the Labour MP who left a note on his desk in the treasury saying "there is no money left" when Labour were kicked out of Government is made shadow work and pensions secretary.
It is somewhat astounding that someone who can be so flippant finds themselves promoted.
The other strange thing about this new look cabinet, it is just like the Gordon Brown cabinet, full of people denying they had anything to do with forcing us into the position we are in now where we face paying £120million per day in interest alone, enough to build a new school every hour!
Stephen Williams, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Treasury Committee, commented earlier on the resignation of Alan Johnson MP:
“I wish Alan Johnson good luck for the future.Well done Stephen Williams MP, great line.
“The decision to appoint Ed Balls as Shadow Chancellor shows that the Labour Party is now determined to carry on with the Gordon Brown economic plan that caused so much trouble for this country.
“Ed Balls isn’t just a deficit denier, he’s a deficit enthusiast.”
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