Young Turks keep Blair flag flying

The appointment of David Miliband as Schools Standards minister, less than a year after he was first elected, is the most meteoric of a number of promotions for young New Labour modernisers.

Mr Miliband, 36, the South Shields MP,was head of the Downing Street Policy Unit in Labour's first term and was credited with devising the "education, education, education" mantra that defined Mr Blair's time in opposition and government. A big fan of the comprehensive system, he will be charged with ensuring that success in primary schools is extended to tangible improvements in secondary schools.

He graduated from Oxford with a first-class degree in philosophy, politics and economics, before taking a Masters in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Another Oxford PPE graduate, Ruth Kelly, 34, the MP for Bolton West, moves up from Economic Secretary to Financial Secretary to replace Paul Boateng. Armed with a fearsome intellect, the mother of three worked at the Bank of England before the 1997 election and has been in charge of pensions policy at the Treasury.

Stephen Twigg, MP for Enfield Southgate and the former Deputy Leader of the Commons, was appointed a Schools minister, with a remit to tackle the capital's poor standards. His victory against Michael Portillo in 1997 endeared him to many in the party, and he tripled his majority last year. Another Oxford graduate, he is an arch-Blairite.

At 29, David Lammy is the youngest MP, but that has not prevented him becoming a Health minister. His gift for publicity was underlined in March when he invited the American soul star Alicia Keys to the Commons to make it "more hip". He faced the task of filling the late Bernie Grant's shoes in Tottenham in June 2000, but quickly established himself as an intelligent, articulate MP. A barrister who studied at London and Harvard universities, he has impeccable Blairite credentials.

Jim Murphy, MP for Eastwood, has been appointed a whip in recognition of his success in turning a Tory marginal into Labour's safest seat in Scotland. The 34-year-old former NUS leader was an outrider for the Blair project when it was unfashionable north of the border.

Christopher Leslie, another 29-year-old MP, moves from the Cabinet Office to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Again, his success in holding on to Shipley, a former Tory heartland, has been rewarded.