Gordon Brown pledged to “begin the work of change” when he entered Number 10 this week. Nobody scanning his new line-up can be in any doubt that he means it.

Britain has just acquired its first female home secretary and its youngest foreign secretary for 30 years. Each of the 22 places around the cabinet table has acquired a new occupant – bar one. Where the last cabinet had five members over 60, this one has five under 40.