Blair set to reshuffle team

If the polls are right and Tony Blair returns to power tomorrow, his first move will be to revamp his ministerial team to give…

If the polls are right and Tony Blair returns to power tomorrow, his first move will be to revamp his ministerial team to give his third term a fresh look.

A new cabinet-level minister for Europe post is possible, according to insiders, as is the return of an old face: that of David Blunkett, who resigned as home secretary last year after a stream of lurid revelations about his private life.

Heading for the exit, perhaps, is defence secretary Geoff Hoon, who has been all but invisible in the run-up to tomorrow's vote.

But despite a sustained clamour for top jobs from both seasoned operators and rising young stars, few of the main government offices appear to be up for grabs.

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There are scores of ministerial posts but the senior ones only number around 20.

In probably the crucial move of Britain's election campaign, Mr Blair essentially promised Gordon Brown he would remain as chancellor of the exchequer.

Home secretary Charles Clarke and education secretary Ruth Kelly have only been in their posts for a matter of months and are unlikely to move. Labour sources say deputy prime minister John Prescott is staying too. - (Reuters)