Tony Blair may have re- turned to power with a much-reduced majority and a string of Labour backbenchers calling for him to stand down immediately. But Monday night's reshuffle of middle and junior ministerial jobs in the government shows he is not afraid to court yet more controversy.

Three appointments are certain to be scrutinised by politicians and the press on Tuesday. The first is the prime minister's appointment of his close adviser Andrew Adonis who was made a peer and given a role as a junior education minister. It is a sign that Mr Blair is determined to press ahead with radical reform of the schools system, especially the city academies programme. But it is likely to trigger concern among left-leaning Labour MPs who see Lord Adonis as a figure on the right of the party who would take education reform further than they would like.