The former health secretary has a reputation as one of New Labour’s “hard men”. He gives as good as he gets in interviews and is always willing to tour the television studios, defending the government when it is in hot water.

An ardent Blairite and champion of public service reform, he has held five previous Cabinet positions, although defence is believed to be the job he has coveted all along, since he was spokesman for that issue when Labour was in opposition.

Though he had a two-year spell in the Communist Party, most of his career has been spent working for Labour in various roles, including a stint as an adviser to Neil Kinnock at the time the Labour leader was turning round his party’s policies on nuclear disarmament and withdrawing from the European Union.

He was a defence spokesman when Labour came to power in 1997, before being moved to transport. He then moved into the cabinet as Scottish Secretary, before switching to Northern Ireland. A short but successful spell as Labour chairman came next; then Leader of the House, and Health Secretary.

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