My friend, the Minister
When the Communication Workers Union was created through a merger in 1995, I was asked by the Joint General Secretaries to become the Head of the Research Department for the new union and fulfilled that role for the next seven years before I took early retirement. My two bosses were Alan Johnson and Tony Young, both immensely able and personable individuals with whom I loved working.
In fact, in 1997, Alan became a Member of Parliament and is now the Secretary of State for Health. Four years ago, Tony became a member of the House of Lords and I was pleased to attend his introduction which I blogged about here.
Now, over the weekend, the Prime Minister has been completing his Ministerial reshuffle and I’m delighted to learn that Tony has been appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills as explained here. Tony has been a good personal friend for 30 years and I know that he will serve the Government and us well.