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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Murphy returns as Welsh Secretary | Murphy returns as Welsh Secretary |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Paul Murphy is to take over as Welsh Secretary from Peter Hain, who quit after his deputy leadership campaign donations were referred to the police. | Paul Murphy is to take over as Welsh Secretary from Peter Hain, who quit after his deputy leadership campaign donations were referred to the police. |
| Mr Murphy, 59, the MP for Torfaen, will return to the position he held for three years after the Welsh assembly was established in 1999. | Mr Murphy, 59, the MP for Torfaen, will return to the position he held for three years after the Welsh assembly was established in 1999. |
| He has also served both as Northern Ireland Secretary and as junior minister in Northern Ireland. | He has also served both as Northern Ireland Secretary and as junior minister in Northern Ireland. |
| First Minister Rhodri Morgan welcomed Mr Murphy back to the Wales Office. | |
| He said: "There will be no learning curve with Paul as he knows all the issues and will be able to pick up the reins very quickly. | |
| "I expect this to be a very fruitful period in Westminster/Wales relations." | |
| According to the Wales Office, Mr Murphy, who stepped down from the frontbenches in 2005, will be a fully paid-up Cabinet minister. | |
| He will be a full-time Welsh Secretary but will also chair a new cross-departmental committee on IT and information security, and also the committee on local government and the regions. | |
| Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones also welcomed Mr Murphy's appointment. | |
| PAUL MURPHY FACTFILE Born 25 November 1948 Lecturer in History and Govt, Ebbw Vale College, 1971-87Torfaen Borough councillor 1973-87MP for Torfaen from 1987Shadow spokesman for Wales 1988-94, Northern Ireland 1994, Foreign Affairs 1994-95, Defence 1995-97Northern Ireland minister 1997-99Welsh Secretary 1999-02Northern Ireland Secretary 2002-05 | PAUL MURPHY FACTFILE Born 25 November 1948 Lecturer in History and Govt, Ebbw Vale College, 1971-87Torfaen Borough councillor 1973-87MP for Torfaen from 1987Shadow spokesman for Wales 1988-94, Northern Ireland 1994, Foreign Affairs 1994-95, Defence 1995-97Northern Ireland minister 1997-99Welsh Secretary 1999-02Northern Ireland Secretary 2002-05 |
| The Plaid Cymru leader said he was looking forward to working closely with Mr Murphy on the Welsh Assembly Government's attempts to gain greater powers and also delivering the priorities included in the coalition agreement. | |
| Caerphilly Labour MP Wayne David also welcomed Mr Murphy although he said his appointment was "tinged with sadness because we didn't want Peter Hain to go." | Caerphilly Labour MP Wayne David also welcomed Mr Murphy although he said his appointment was "tinged with sadness because we didn't want Peter Hain to go." |
| Mr David said Paul Murphy "was not an enthusiast in all aspects of devolution it's true". | Mr David said Paul Murphy "was not an enthusiast in all aspects of devolution it's true". |
| "But if you look back to when he was Secretary of State before, he had very good working relationship with Rhodri Morgan. | "But if you look back to when he was Secretary of State before, he had very good working relationship with Rhodri Morgan. |
| "Devo-sceptic" | |
| "I think it is fair to say Paul Murphy is constructively critical, but what is clear is that he does want to make this work." | "I think it is fair to say Paul Murphy is constructively critical, but what is clear is that he does want to make this work." |
| Welsh Liberal Democrats spokesman Roger Williams MP welcomed the appointment but questioned whether a "devo-sceptic" was the right person to "take devolution forward". | Welsh Liberal Democrats spokesman Roger Williams MP welcomed the appointment but questioned whether a "devo-sceptic" was the right person to "take devolution forward". |
| Conservative MP for Monmouth, David Davies, said Mr Murphy's appointment was "sensible". | |
| Mr Davies said: "Paul Murphy is clearly a very experienced member of parliament and whilst I and my colleagues will disagree with his policies and his government's policies and will certainly take him to task for that, he's a man who is, I think I probably can say, is widely respected on all sides of the House of Commons." | |
| Mr Hain has been replaced in his other Cabinet role as Work and Pensions Secretary by James Purnell. |