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Blair Reshuffles Cabinet After Election Losses
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Blair also announced new ministers for European affairs, education, transport and other departments.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who recently embarrassed the government when a long-running affair with a former secretary was disclosed, was allowed to keep his position. But he was stripped of much of his responsibility, including oversight of such areas as housing, local government and urban and regional issues.
Adding to the pain for Blair and Labor in Thursday's elections, the hard-line anti-immigration British National Party (BNP) had its best showing ever, roughly doubling the 20 or so local seats it held. The BNP, viewed by many as a racist fringe party, favors an end to immigration to Britain and a government program to return foreigners to their countries of "ethnic origin."
The BNP won 11 or 12 of the 13 seats it contested in the east London borough of Barking and Dagenham. The party had identified those places as a key battleground as it attempted to tap into working-class frustration with the government's immigration policies.
"The people of Barking and Dagenham should be congratulated," said Richard Barnbrook, one of the successful BNP candidates there. "They've said that government has got to wake up; you can't treat people this way."
In an interview, Barnbrook said that the BNP would continue to build on its success. "Yes, we're still a young party," he said. "But we're on the way to giving people back their power, their voice and their identity."
Several people interviewed Friday in London said they had expected the poor showing for Labor and the rise of the BNP, particularly after the scandals involving Clarke and Prescott and accusations that the government was offering seats in the House of Lords to political contributors.
"It's no big surprise is it?" said Eddie Tuttle, a business consultant from London. "The government was bound to get its bottom smacked after the last couple of weeks."
Damien Abbott, a civil servant, said it was a "sad state of affairs" that a hard-line party such as the BNP had performed so well. But he said he understood voters' anger. "The people who are voting for them in Barking aren't racist, they probably have black and Asian friends. But they're just sick and tired of the government policy on immigration," Abbott said.
