Tony Blair made room for the changes by sacking seven ministers - another vacancy had been created by the resignation on Monday of Social Security Minister Frank Field.

Mr Field is replaced by John Denham, who will deal with pensions and welfare reform.

Promoted: Estelle Morris

Education minister Estelle Morris moves up to become education minister, taking over from Stephen Byers, now Treasury Chief Secretary.

Helen Liddell leaves her job as economic secretary to the Treasury to join the Scottish Office. She will also be campaigns coordinator.

New trade minister Brian Wilson

If Donald Dewar leaves for the Scottish Parliament next year, as expected, she will be tipped to succeed him as Scottish Secretary.

Brian Wilson moves up from the Scottish Office to become trade minister at the Department of Trade and Industry under Peter Mandelson.

New Europe minister

Joyce Quin moves from being prisons minister to minister for Europe. She replaces Doug Henderson, who becomes armed services minister.

Lord Falconer joins the Cabinet Office where he will work with Dr Jack Cunningham. His job as Solicitor-General goes to Ross Cranston, one of the new intake of MPs.

Lord Falconer is a close ally of Mr Blair who gave up a lucrative legal practice to join the government.

New MPs and former aides to past Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Charles Clarke and Patricia Hewitt, have also won promotions.

Ms Hewitt replaces Helen Liddell as economic secretary, to deal with pension mis-selling, the Financial Services Bill and the City.

Mr Clarke becomes a junior education minister, replacing Estelle Morris.

Eagle flies to social security

Angela Eagle moves to a junior minister's post at the Department for Social Security, leaving her junior ministerial job at the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions to Alan Meale.

Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey will join the Home Office where Lord Williams is promoted to Minister of State.

Alan Howarth is made arts minister, and Margaret Hodge takes his employment brief.

Kim Howells is appointed consumer affairs minister in place of Nigel Griffiths, who is sacked following a public row with his senior civil servants.

Mr Howells is replaced as minister for lifelong learning by George Mudie, formerly deputy chief whip.

Lord Sainsbury is to become an unpaid junior minister for the House of Lords in the Department for Trade and Industry.

Geoff Hoon is promoted to Minister of State but stays in the Lord Chancellor's Department.

Public Health Minister Tessa Jowell also takes charge of the Sure Start Programme and women's issues in the Commons.

Stephen Timms becomes a junior minister at the DSS.

In addition to his responsibilities at the Welsh Office Peter Hain will take on the role of campaign coordinator there.

The casualties

Eight ministers left the government in all:

Lord Clinton-Davis, Win Griffiths, Nigel Griffiths, Tony Worthington, Joan Ruddock, Mark Fisher, Tom Clarke and Frank Field.

Sacked: N Ireland minister Tony Worthington

Mr Worthington noted his departure from the Northern Ireland Office by saying he was disappointed but had known he was vulnerable.

The sacking of Win Griffiths has not gone down too well with some of his colleagues.

Newport West MP Paul Flynn described the decision as "cruel, unjust and futile. He has done a good job and there is no reason at all to move him.

"But my almighty objection is that the decision was taken in Downing Street and not in Wales and not by Welsh MPs."

Robinson and Lloyd spared

Earlier, the prime minister's spokesman revealed that Paymaster General Geoffrey Robinson and Foreign Office Minister Tony Lloyd would not be among those being sacked.

Both men had been thought possible contenders to be moved if not dropped after having problems with their financial affairs and the arms-to-Africa affair respectively.

Next time perhaps?

The prime minister's spokesman also revealed that Mr Blair had spoken to Alan Milburn, the Health Minister of State, who was not promoted to the Cabinet.

The conversation was to reassure Mr Milburn that he was still considered as Cabinet material for the future.

Public Health Minister Tessa Jowell has also received similar confidence-boosting assurances.