Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson resigns
Labour’s Alan Johnson resigns from his post as Shadow Chancellor citing personal reasons. Political Editor Gary Gibbon looks at what the abrupt departure means for the future of the opposition.
Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson abruptly announced today would be resigning from the Shadow Cabinet for reasons connected to his family.
“I have found it difficult to cope with these personal issues in my private life whilst carrying out an important front bench role,” he said.
Ed Balls will now step in to the role of Shadow Chancellor while his wife, Yvette Cooper, takes over his role of Shadow Home Secretary. Douglas Alexander has taken over the role of Shadow Foreign Secretary from Mrs Cooper.
Mr Johnson was Labour leader Ed Miliband‘s surprise choice as Chancellor when the Shadow Cabinet was appointed in October.
Today Mr Johnson said his time would now be dedicated to his constituents in West Hull Hessle.
“I have found it difficult to cope with these personal issues in my private life whilst carrying out an important frontbench role.” Alan Johnson
“I have decided to resign from the Shadow Cabinet for personal reasons to do with my family,” his statement says.
“I have found it difficult to cope with these personal issues in my private life whilst carrying out an important frontbench role.
“I am grateful to Ed Miliband for giving me the opportunity to serve as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
“He is proving to be a formidable leader of the Labour Party and has shown me nothing but support and kindness.
“My time in Parliament will now be dedicated to serving my constituents and supporting the Labour Party.
“I will make no further comment about this matter.”
Alan Johnson quits frontline politics
Read Alan Johnson's letter to Ed Miliband in full here.
Miliband’s response
Ed Miliband said he had accepted Mr Johnson’s resignation with “great regret”.
“Alan showed real leadership on issues that mattered to families across our country,” he said.
Ed Miliband insisted Mr Johnson’s resignation was for personal reasons and “nothing to do with the job”, adding that the party’s economic policy would be unchanged.
Asked whether it had been a mistake to appoint Alan Johnson to the role in the first place, he replied: “No, Alan Johnson was the right man for the job. He has had to stand down for personal reasons – nothing to do with the job.
“Ed brings great expertise to this role and I look forward to working with him in the direction Alan and I have already set out.”
Liam Byrne will step into Douglas Alexander’s Work and Pensions brief, while Tessa Jowell will add the Cabinet Office to her role as Shadow Olympics Minister.
Departure a ‘great loss’
Ed Balls said he would carry on Mr Johnson’s work “to the best of my abilities”, adding that his departure was a “great loss” for the party.
Conservative Party deputy chairman Michael Fallon said: “It beggars belief that Ed Balls has been appointed as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. The man who is responsible for Britain’s economic mess has returned.
“The Labour Party has learnt nothing and is now led entirely by Gordon Brown’s old team.”
Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams, co-chair of the Lib Dem Parliamentary Treasury Committee, accused Mr Balls of being a “deficit enthusiast”.
Johnson’s departure gives Balls the economic reins
It seems Alan Johnson's departure from frontline politics is to do with affairs of the heart not health and not politics, writes Political Editor Gary Gibbon.
But Ed Miliband has seized the moment to put Ed Balls into the number one economic portfolio. He had little choice.
He'd ducked the choice of Ed Balls before for a number of reasons. Ed B was seen as too close to Gordon Brown, he didn't want to rub brother David's supporters' noses in defeat. He now has Gordon Brown's original kitchen cabinet, himself included, running the top jobs in the Party.
He had awkward relations with Ed Balls (as did the other promoted man today, Douglas Alexander). Ed Balls was accused of jealously guarding his access to Gordon Brown and knifing individuals who threatened that. Relations have improved - it was some of Ed Balls' MP supporters giving Ed M their second preferences that tipped Ed M into his narrow leadership victory.
And Ed Balls was never a fan of Alistair Darling's economic policy, something Ed Miliband decided in the end to hug pretty close, if not precisely follow.
In his press briefing just now, Ed Miliband said Labour would continue to follow the economic policy that he and Alan Johnson had been following. We shall see.
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