Audacious move pits Osborne against Brown

12 May 05
In a move the Conservatives themselves described as 'audacious', one of the party's youngest MPs has been given the daunting task of facing Chancellor Gordon Brown across the dispatch box.

13 May 2005

In a move the Conservatives themselves described as 'audacious', one of the party's youngest MPs has been given the daunting task of facing Chancellor Gordon Brown across the dispatch box.

George Osborne, the 33-year-old MP for Tatton, who only entered Parliament in 2001, emerged as the big winner in Michael Howard's post-election reshuffle, taking on the Treasury portfolio.

Osborne said the party needed to work on broadening its appeal to a wider range of voters. 'We have to face the fact that we only got 33% of the vote and we need to get more than that next time,' he said.

Some commentators see Osborne's promotion as proof that he is Howard's preferred successor.

But there were also promotions for other possible leadership contenders. David Cameron was rewarded with the education portfolio and party chair Liam Fox was made shadow foreign secretary.

Osborne's predecessor, Oliver Letwin, takes on the less high-profile environment brief and David Davis, who may also throw his hat into the leadership ring, stays as shadow home secretary.

PFmay2005

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