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Office of the deputy prime minister:
Keith Hill, Minister of state for housing and planning, ODPM

As Housing Today went to press, Keith Hill looked set to take over Lord Rooker鈥檚 brief of housing and planning. Rooker, meanwhile, was expected to become the minister in charge of both the Communities Plan agenda and the social exclusion and homelessness brief after the resignation of Barbara Roche. He may not be a political heavyweight, but 59-year-old Hill, MP for Streatham in south London, is a political veteran. Hill was a politics lecturer at Strathclyde University, a officer at the RMT union and a Labour researcher before winning his seat in 1992. Five years later, he became parliamentary private secretary for Hilary Armstrong at the-then DETR. After becoming junior transport minister in 1999, Hill won brownie points from Blair for tackling the financing of the London Underground and became deputy chief whip in 2001. One housing campaigner says: 鈥淗ill鈥檚 experience as deputy chief whip will be handy when grappling with the complexity of the draft housing bill.鈥� As a constituency MP, Hill has lobbied local police to get tough with louts and vandals in Streatham. He will also be expected to take charge of the mortgage market reforms needed for Britain鈥檚 entry to the euro.

Office of the deputy prime minister:
Yvette Cooper, Junior planning minister, ODPM

A fast riser, Cooper is married to Gordon Brown鈥檚 guru Ed Balls and the pair are to Hansard what Posh and Becks are to Hello! magazine. One housing director says: 鈥淎nything that improves relations between the Treasury and the ODPM is welcome.鈥� Ambitious, intelligent and earnest, Cooper studied politics and economics at Oxford, Harvard and the London School of Economics. She became a leader writer at the Independent newspaper and in 1997, at the age of 28, was elected to the safe seat of Pontefract and Castleford. Two years later, she became under-secretary for public health at the Department of Health and was promoted to parliamentary secretary at the Lord Chancellor鈥檚 department two years after that. Now, she is to take over Tony McNulty鈥檚 role as junior housing minister after McNulty鈥檚 promotion to under-secretary at the Department of Transport. In 2001, she become the first minister to take maternity leave, but is best known for research three years ago showing that Labour had failed to ease class inequalities. Earlier this month, she said politicians must learn from Big Brother to boost voter participation, and she caused a rumpus by revealing data from the Food Standards Agency without permission.

Office of the deputy prime minister:
Phil Hope, Junior local government minister, ODPM

Having been deputy prime minister John Prescott鈥檚 parliamentary private secretary since 2001 and DETR minister Nick Raynsford鈥檚 before that, it鈥檚 no surprise that Corby MP Phil Hope has been rewarded with a junior post. As Housing Today went to press, Hope, 48, was expected to take over from junior local government minister Chris Leslie, who has moved to become a junior minister at Lord Falconer鈥檚 new constitutional affairs department. As a former Corby councillor, Hope has the right local government background to replace Leslie.

Department of work and pensions:
Desmond Browne, Minister of state for work

Ex-Northern Ireland junior minister Des Browne is a fitting appointment at the DWP, given that the government is hoping to fight nuisance through benefit cuts. Housing professionals who dealt with Browne in his previous job say the 51-year-old MP for Kilmarnock and Loudon was a supporter of tougher measures to tackle antisocial menace and supported the creation of introductory tenancies for registered social landlords in Northern Ireland. A solicitor by trade, and married with two sons, Browne was elected in 1997, was parliamentary private secretary to Donald Dewar and then parliamentary secretary of the Northern Ireland Office from 2001. He has taken over the works part of Malcolm Wicks鈥� brief, leaving Wicks with the pensions part. He is best known for his private members bill to set up a register of serious drug users.

Department of work and pensions:
Chris Pond, Junior minister

After 20 years at the Low Pay Unit, Pond oversaw the introduction of the minimum wage as an MP in 2000. He鈥檚 also a fan of tough action on antisocial behaviour, but it could be difficult for him to reconcile the government鈥檚 benefit-docking policy with his anti-poverty campaigning. A former Fabian who turned loyal Blairite on election in 1997, the 50-year-old MP for Gravesham and parliamentary private secretary to Dawn Primarola has said of his constituency: 鈥淲eek after week at my advice surgeries I meet people whose quality of life is blighted by yobs and antisocial neighbours. I will do everything I can, working with the police, the council, and the community, to call time on the louts.鈥�

Home office:
Hazel Blears, Minister of state for crime reduction, policing and community safety

Born and bred in Salford, Greater Manchester, and an ex-solicitor at Salford council, Hazel Blears is known as a constituency campaigner on crime and deprivation. She was a driving force in the regeneration of Salford, according to council leader John Merry, and was chair of the area鈥檚 regeneration partnership board, winning 拢25m for it when it was incorporated into Manchester鈥檚 market renewal pathfinder last year. Blears, 47, became parliamentary private secretary to Alan Milburn in his roles as health and treasury secretary before winning a parliamentary under-secretary role at the Department of Health in 2001 and then the post of public health minister. Such was her loyalty to Milburn that, when told of his departure, she reportedly burst into tears.

Home office:
Fiona Mactaggart, Junior minister of state for race equality, community policy and civic renewal

The arrival of 49-year-old Mactaggart at the Home Office is proof that rebels can be forgiven. The Slough MP opposed ID cards and vouchers for asylum seekers and attacked the failure to do enough for alienated young men 鈥渨ho are turning to street violence and racism rather than democratic politics鈥�. As director of the joint council for the welfare of immigrants鈥� Mactaggart won a clause retaining right of appeal against deportation for asylum seekers who鈥檇 lived in Slough, her constituency, for seven years or more. But Mactaggart is no Old Labour tub-thumper: her late father was right-wing property tycoon Sir Ian Mactaggart. Mactaggart junior has more in common with her great grandfather, the first treasurer of the first branch of Kier Hardie鈥檚 Labour Party. MacTaggart was a teacher and a lecturer on education before winning her seat in 1997 and becoming PPS to Chris Smith. She became a junior health minister earlier this year. A tough-minded Scot, her supporters will be waiting to see if she continues to speak her mind.