Murphy returns to province as Blair reshuffles Cabinet

A Cabinet reshuffle in the Labour government has seen Welsh Secretary of State Paul Murphy brought in to take over the reins in Northern Ireland.

The current NI Secretary of State, Dr John Reid, moves on to become Labour Party Chairman.

The shuffle was announced in the wake of Estelle Morris's surprisingly candid resignation as Minister for Education, a post filled by Charles Clarke that in turn left the post of party chairman vacant.

Mr Murphy has previous experience of the Northern Ireland political scene. He returns to the province having served almost two years in the direct-rule post of development minister during Mo Mowlam's tenure as Northern Ireland secretary.

Speaking following the announcement of his appointment, Mr Murphy said that he was hopeful a basis could be found for a return to the devoved institutions as quickly as possible. He said that while he did not expect the job to be easy, he shared the optimism of the Northern Ireland people, and that the challenge was to see the Good Friday Agreement fully implemented.

His appointment has been broadly welcomed as Mr Murphy is viewed as a sound appointment. He was highly regarded by the parties who were involved in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Although Dr Reid's time as Secretary has been marked by two acts of IRA decommissioning, he came under fire from nationalist politicians for suggesting that the province was in danger of becoming a "cold house for unionists". He also had to suspend the institutions set up under the Good Friday Agreement on three occasions to rescue the peace process.

Dr Reid spoke of his disappointment at leaving Northern Ireland: "I would like to say thank you to all the politicians in Northern Ireland. They have given me a few sore heads but I am sure they would say the same about me."

However, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams was highly critical of the three assembly suspensions and described Dr Reid's tenure as one of "dismal failure".

SDLP leader Mark Durkan was more magnanimous. He said Dr Reid had served as Secretary of State in eventful times and had contributed to the development of the agreement.

The drafting in of Mr Murphy as part of the shuffle is viewed as a sign of permanence for the current suspension of the Assembly and the imposition of direct rule.

(SP)