Labour's successful general election strategist Douglas Alexander
has been rewarded with the post of e-minister.
Alexander, 33, takes over from Patricia Hewitt, who was named trade
and industry secretary in Tony Blair's post-election
shake-up.
The MP for Paisley South is expected to play a key role in a
revamped Department of Trade and Industry.
A qualified lawyer, Alexander studied at Edinburgh University and
the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania. While in the US, he also
worked as a press steward on Michael Dukakis's 1988 presidential
campaign.
He went on to win the Paisley South constituency in 1997 and, two
years later, joined a backbench revolt against Jack Straw's
amendments to the Freedom of Information Bill.
A former parliamentary researcher and speechwriter for his close
friend Gordon Brown, Alexander has, officially, been named minister
for e-commerce and competitiveness.
With former e-minister Patricia Hewitt now heading his department,
the IT industry is hoping its voice will be heard more clearly in
government, particularly in disputes with other departments.
During the previous term, the Treasury and Home Office won
arguments with e-ministers and the e-envoy over issues such as the
Regulation of Interceptory Powers Act and the IR35 tax
regime.
Bruce Ackland