Mr Tony Blair's enforced reshuffle following the departure of Estelle Morris has left his cabinet looking somewhat strengthened, writes Frank Millar, London Editor
The Westminster wags were working hard yesterday. "Tony always seems to have a problem with his women," quipped one, as some of the chattering classes went into a debate of their own about whether nice people in general - and, ludicrously, women in particular - could "cut the mustard" in the rough trade of politics.
Mention of rough trade prompted one respected female commentator to observe that if failing male politicians betrayed half the self-awareness evidenced by the departing Estelle Morris the political culture might be a good deal healthier all round.
For in truth nothing had quite become Ms Morris, secretary of state for education, like the manner of her departure. With rare candour, she confessed she hadn't been up to the job, telling the Prime Minister she had been neither as effective as she would have wished nor as he would have required.
Mr Blair told the cabinet a genuine air of sadness attended Ms Morris's resignation and that no critic could have been harder than she had been on herself. With that, the Prime Minister proceeded to his second enforced reshuffle within six months, and one which last night left his cabinet looking somewhat strengthened.
The obvious man of the moment is Ms Morris's successor, Mr Charles Clarke, a self-confessed pugnacious bruiser whose reputation for plain speaking will gives teachers' unions pause for thought. To him falls the urgent task of restoring credibility to Mr Blair's declared top priority in government: "Education, Education, Education."
But Mr Clarke's most immediate priority will be to restore public confidence in A-levels following this summer's fiasco over the downgrading of results, amid complaints from leading universities about the creeping politicisation of admissions criteria. Other clashes loom over the government's failure to meet its numeracy and literacy targets for 11-year-olds; over student debt and the threat of rising tuition fees; and over the remodelling of the teaching profession itself.
The general media consensus last night appeared to be that Mr Clarke's other urgent need will be to keep his temper under tighter control.
However, Mr Clarke - the former party chairman, described by an official Blair spokesman yesterday as "a big man in every sense" - is still likely to stray beyond his brief into other key areas of public policy, including the euro, of which he is a leading cabinet enthusiast.
One BBC account yesterday suggested that Mr Peter Hain's promotion from Europe Minister to the cabinet as Welsh Secretary reinforced impressions that a referendum on the euro is already privately discounted for the remainder of this parliament.
Given Mr Hain's very high profile, however, some Whitehall insiders privately suggested that the pro-euro lobby in cabinet had actually been enhanced.
Similarly elevated is the new Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy. Wales, of course, has its own sensitivities and, unlike Northern Ireland, is able to elect Labour MPs.
However, there is no doubt that the Stormont profile and continued crisis in the peace process makes this a promotion for the former deputy to Dr Mo Mowlam, whose appointment to Cardiff might previously have been considered the probable pinnacle of his cabinet career.
The big winner of the day - and the big loser - would seem to be Dr John Reid.
There is little reason to doubt his declared reluctance to leave Northern Ireland at this critical point.
Indeed, the SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, had worried publicly that Dr Reid appeared just a little too enthusiastic about the recent return to direct rule following the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
But the Labour Party chairmanship with cabinet rank was Mr Blair's creation, and Dr Reid returns to Whitehall - and the political centre stage - very much the Prime Minister's man for every crisis. Dr Reid will be Mr Blair's inter-departmental and party trouble-shooter.
As he remarked yesterday, "the Labour Party is the engine which drives the Labour government." And few can doubt that this celebrated "safe pair of hands" will use all the skills deployed in making peace in Ireland to Mr Blair's benefit as a reluctant and nervous Labour Party braces itself for a still likely war with Iraq.