UK: MANDELSON REPLACES MOWLAM IN CABINET RESHUFFLE (2)

(11 Oct 1999) English/Nat

Peter Mandelson - the man forced to resign from the British government over a financial scandal - has been brought back into the cabinet after just 10 months.

Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed Mandelson the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as part of a larger reshuffle.

He'll now take on the struggle to forge a lasting peace agreement in Northern Ireland.

The former Trade and Industry Secretary, has returned from the political wilderness to replace Mo Mowlam as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Mandelson and the outgoing Northern Ireland Secretary, Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, appeared together on the steps of the Prime Minister's residence, Downing Street on Monday, smiling but saying nothing.

Earlier the two appeared at the Northern Ireland office, where Mowlam said that while she is sad to be leaving the post as Northern Ireland Secretary, she is happy with her new position as minister for the Cabinet Office.

There she will oversee implementation of key aspects of government policy.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Well can I begin by saying that obviously I'm sad to be leaving the job. I've made a lot of friends over the time and it's a beautiful place to work. But I've been in the job for five years, two and a half years in government and two and a half years in opposition and there's never an easy time to go and now is clearly not easy but everybody has to go at some time. I'm very pleased with the job that I've got and I'm even more pleased that Peter Mandelson is taking over because you get to care very much about what happens and I'm pleased that it's somebody with his ability, with his skills and his commitment and I think it shows very clearly Tony's commitment to Northern Ireland and I wish him all the best."
SUPER CAPTION: Mo Mowlam, former Northern Ireland Secretary

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It's a job which I'm absolutely delighted to have. I have no doubt it's going to be very hard. I have seen how Mo has done this job for so long and she has done it terrifically and I know from my own friends who live in Northern Ireland how highly she's thought of and she is a, well she's just been terrific and everyone knows that and I realise and it's quite a humbling person to follow and I know how difficult it will be but I'm going to do my best. I know that in the next period we have got to be focused on one thing above all and that is Mitchell and that leg of the process and I want everyone to focus very, very hard on what he's doing and what I hope will be the outcome of the work he's undertaking."
SUPER CAPTION: Peter Mandelson, new Northern Ireland Secretary

Mowlam has been instrumental in pushing forward the Northern Ireland peace process and received an humanitarian award in Washington earlier this year for that work.

But relations between her and Northern Ireland's main Protestant party were said to be deteriorating.

The Protestant, Ulster Unionist Party (U-U-P), which is loyal to British rule, has accused Mowlam of favouring Catholic-based parties and being too lenient with Sinn Fein which the U-U-P regards as the political wing of the Irish Republican Army.

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