John Hutton appointed Defence Secretary and the New Defence Ministerial team announced

The Rt Hon John Hutton MP was appointed Secretary of State for the Ministry of Defence on 3 October 2008. Since June 2007, Mr Hutton has been Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and prior to that he had been Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from November 2005. Mr Hutton was made a member of the Privy Council in 2001 and in May 2005 entered the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Before his election to Parliament he was a Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Northumbria and from 1994 to1997 he served on the Select Committee for Home Affairs.
Between 1997 and 1998 Mr Hutton was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Margaret Beckett, both while she was President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and in her role as President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons. He was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in October 1998.
Mr Hutton was born on 6 May 1955 and was educated at Westcliffe High School and Magdalen College Oxford. He is married to Heather Rogers and they have three sons and one daughter.

Defence Ministerial Team
Further changes to the Defence Ministerial team have been confirmed. Quentin Davies MP will become Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, with the Rt Hon Baroness Taylor of Bolton PC moving to the newly-established appointment of Minister for International Defence and Security, supporting the Defence Secretary on NATO, ESDP and international issues; she will continue to lead on defence matters in the House of Lords
Kevan Jones MP will become Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans. Bob Ainsworth will remain Minister for the Armed Forces.
Quentin Davies said: "I am very much looking forward to my new appointment as Minister for Defence Equipment & Support. I have huge admiration for the Armed Forces and the civil servants who support them and my recent report on National Recognition for the Armed Forces gave me an excellent insight to the challenges they face. Our Armed Forces are doing an amazing job in difficult circumstances and my priority will be to do all I can to ensure they get the best possible equipment and logistic support. I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can, both at home and in operational theatres."
Baroness Ann Taylor added - "I am delighted to have been offered this new and exciting portfolio by the Prime Minister. NATO is key to the UK's security and is currently playing an essential operational role in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Its transformation and the development of European Security & Defence Policy are of immense importance. I look forward to working closely with John Hutton and colleagues in the Foreign Office as we take this work forward. I am sure that Quentin Davies will continue to ensure that our Armed Forces have the best possible equipment and support they deserve."
Kevan Jones said - "I am very pleased to have been asked by the Prime Minister to take on the role of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans. I have always taken a keen interest in defence issues and my work as a member of the House of Commons Defence Committee has given me a first hand insight, both at home and in Iraq and Afghanistan, into the hard work and committment of our military and civilian personnel. As Veterans Minister I am honoured to be working with and supporting our veterans community, young and old, and also the associations that work tirelessly to support them. I look forward to working with you all."

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