MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Blair Reshuffles Cabinet after Big Election Victory.

Celebrating his overwhelming victory in the United Kingdom General Election, Prime Minister Tony Blair acted swiftly to re-shuffle his Cabinet and other senior Ministers to press ahead with promised radical reforms. His achievement is to win an unprecedented second full term of office for the first time in the Labour Party's hundred years' history.

In what is interpreted as a surprise demotion, Foreign Secretary Robin Cook is made Leader of the House of Commons and is replaced at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by former Home Secretary Jack Straw.

Robin Cook, aged 55, said that after four years of world wide travel, he was delighted to be asked "to come back home to Parliament". He looked forward to playing a central part in promoting the Government's legislative programme. He will be very much involved in the proposed national referendum, expected in about two years' time, to decide whether the UK joins the European Union's single currency, the Euro, in place of the pound sterling. Sterling has fallen sharply against the Euro and dollar after the election.

Both Robin Cook and the new Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, were both involved in controversial Latin American issues in their previous posts. Straw, a barrister, also aged 55, faced criticism from human rights campaigners when he decided not to go ahead with the extradition of former Chilean President, General Pinochet, to Spain to face allegations of torture during his period in power. After lengthy detention in the United Kingdom, General Pinochet was freed because of failing health and returned home to Chile.

Cook's Argentine Role

Robin Cook signed the 1999 July 14 agreement with Argentina's then Foreign Minister Dr Di Tella, ending the ban on general visits by Argentines to the Falkland Islands in force since the 1982 Conflict.

He had been keen to improve political relations and trade links with Argentina while maintaining strong support for the Islanders' wish to remain British and rejecting any concession to Argentina's sovereignty claims. He played a major part in hosting former President Menem's visit to the United Kingdom in 1999. Cook was criticised for his so-called "ethical" foreign policy while the UK continued to sell weapons abroad to authoritarian governments such as Indonesia.

Jack Straw proved not to be as "tough on crime and the causes of crime" as he had hoped. He is replaced as Home Secretary by David Blunkett, 54, Britain's only blind minister who takes his guide dog into Parliament with him. Blunkett has been a successful Secretary of State for Educat