West Midlands MP Liam Byrne was today celebrating his ministerial leap to Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Cabinet team.

The Home Office high-flier and Birmingham Hodge Hill MP has been promoted to Minister of the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

It means he will be leaving his immigration duties under Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s team to move into the Cabinet Office building in Whitehall.

His new appointment also means he will be working alongside Tom Watson – West Bromwich East MP and Minister for Transformational Government – who keeps his post within the Cabinet Office team.

The pair will help co-ordinate the work of the Cabinet Office. Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden is staying put as employment relations minister.

He told the Express & Star Police Minister Tony McNulty’s promotion to the Cabinet team as Minister of Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions has not changed his role.

Dudley South MP Ian Pearson has lost his position as Science Minister after the appointment of Lord Drayson to the post.

Warley MP John Speller has also been asked to join the whips office as part of Gordon Brown’s reshuffle.