GORDON Brown will ensure Britain's Defence Secretary will never again be asked to take on an extra ministerial job as part of a reshuffle expected later this summer.
The Prime Minister faced fierce criticism from ex-forces chiefs and Tory critics after he handed Des Browne the job of Scottish Secretary alongside his post at defence last year.
Senior sources say Brown has now agreed that the arrangement is unte
nable, particularly while the country remains locked in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and will restore a dedicated Defence Secretary to the Cabinet when he reshuffles his team.
The decision to weld defence and Scotland as one job in the Cabinet has been widely attacked by senior figures in the military. Last year, Admiral Lord Boyce, the defence chief at the time of the 2003 Iraq invasion, said Brown had treated troops "with contempt" by combining the two posts.
There had been speculation Brown would create an entirely new post later this year, with a new 'Minister for the Nations' being created to manage Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
But well-placed sources believe Brown is considering a separate Scottish Secretary once again, as Labour prepares to gear up its challenge against the SNP ahead of the 2010 general election and the 2011 Scottish elections.
The current favourite for the job at Whitehall is Europe Minister and Eastwood MP Jim Murphy.
The full article contains 238 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
