THE idea of having a “Secretary of State for Union” instead of a dedicated minister for devolved nations was floated by Tony Blair’s government, cabinet files show.
Newly released official documents from the National Archives in London include a civil service memo on the “future of the territorial secretaries of state” dated May 2000, a year after Holyrood was established.
The document, sent from Jim Gallagher and addressed to David Miliband, who was then a policy adviser in Downing Street, stated that Scottish Secretary John Reid and Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy have “jobs for now”, but adds these are “not full-time Cabinet posts for the long-term”.
