GORD SHUFFLES AWAY

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Bob Ainsworth to Defence
John Denham to communities.
Yvette Cooper to work and pensions.
Alistair Darling - stays as chancellor
Alan Johnson - new home secretary
David Miliband - stays as foreign secretary
Jack Straw - stays as justice secretary
Lord Mandelson - stays as business secretary
John Hutton - quitting as defence secretary
Jim Murphy - stays Scottish Secretary
Sir Alan Sugar - made enterprise czar

The last one-Alan Sugar explains his reticence to talk on BBC Breakfast this morning.

BBC NEWS Johnson is the new home secretary Health Secretary Alan Johnson is to replace Jacqui Smith as home secretary, as Prime Minister Gordon Brown carries out a make-or-break reshuffle.

Alistair Darling will stay in his job as chancellor and Jack Straw will stay justice secretary.

Mr Brown is fighting for his political life after Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell resigned with a call for the PM to go "for Labour's sake".

It comes as Labour braces itself for bad results in English local elections.

Mr Brown is in Downing Street working on a reshuffle which is expected to see widespread changes in key jobs within the next few hours.

BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said he understood that Mr Darling had turned down a move to the Home Office and Mr Purnell had been "sounded out" about the job of education secretary, which would have paved the way for Mr Brown's ally Ed Balls to become chancellor, but that was not now going to happen.

Mr Johnson had been widely tipped as a possible challenger Mr Brown, among backbenchers plotting to oust the prime minister.

Normally loyal Labour MP Barry Sheerman told BBC News he wanted Mr Brown to stand down and predicted many of his backbench colleagues would vote that way if they were "liberated by a secret ballot".

But one group of Labour MPs have told the BBC they may delay their plans to circulate an e-mail gathering support for Mr Brown to quit.

And cabinet ministers have been rallying round Mr Brown following Mr Purnell's surprise departure, with none so far indicating they are ready to follow his lead.

Good news for the NHS, bad news for the economy, good news for Gord, bad news for the country.


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