Cabinet Office minister and deputy chief whip resign from government

Downing Street announces departure of Chloe Smith and John Randall ahead of expected reshuffle

theguardian.com, Rowena Mason, political correspondent, Sunday 6 October 2013

Chloe Smith and John Randall have both resigned from the government.
 Photograph: Composite

 David Cameron's youngest minister, Chloe Smith, and his long-serving deputy chief whip, John Randall, have resigned ahead of a reshuffle in which the prime minister is expected to promote a number of women.

Downing Street said Smith, a Cabinet Office minister, is stepping down to concentrate on her constituency work and engaging young people in politics, while Randall asked last year to leave after 13 years in the whips' office.

Smith, who has previously served as a whip and a Treasury minister, has recently been overseeing the controversial lobbying bill, which has been criticised by charities and campaign groups.

In her resignation letter, she said: "As you know, I was only 27 when I was lucky enough to be elected as an MP, and, of my four years in parliament so far, I have spent three as a minister. I would welcome the opportunity to develop other ways of giving public service, both inside and outside parliament, while continuing to work hard for my constituents."

At the same time, Randall announced he is leaving his role, assuring the prime minister that he would continue to do "whatever I can for you personally as well as for the party, the government and of course the country".

In his resignation letter, he said: "I know that it is customary to write at these times that it has been a great privilege and honour to serve as a member of the government but it really has been that and a lot more.

"I have served thirteen years in the whips' office both in opposition and more recently in government and I have served under and with some fantastic colleagues, notably Patrick [McLoughlin] and Sir George [Young], who have made the job extremely worthwhile and even fun."

Related Article:

Opposition to President Obama and the Transition to Uncorrupted Governments

goldenageofgaia.com, Steve Beckow, An Hour with an Angel, September 30, 2013, with Archangel Michael

SB: All right. Maybe I can squeeze in one or two questions just before we go.

At this moment it seems as if in the American political spectrum the same blind opposition to President Obama is still apparent. When and how will the governments of the world emerge as uncorrupted institutions, given that there will now be a wholesale move towards new administrations? I don’t mean a toppling of administrations, but a reformation throughout the world.

AAM: The political landscape, not only in the United States but in many places, is going to shift rather dramatically in the coming year, and particularly within the next several months. Do not be overly concerned about opposition to Obama. What it is doing is bringing to the forefront — and making it very public — those who do not wish this energy [Obama] to be in a leadership position. That is not going to change. It will come to the forefront and the light will win.

SB: Oh, that’s very reassuring.

AAM: We are very present in the White House.

SB: Oh! Very good! Okay.  I think I recall you mentioning Medicare in Canada. Canada has a wonderful system of universal medicare. When will the United States enjoy the same quality of medicare? Or other nations, for that matter.

AAM: You see, this is one of the fundamental rights, and your United Nations has just begun to peek at this.  All of your — yes, all — of your medical systems have been based on false grids that you are eligible for disease. Many, many industries have grown up around this belief system.

Now, we would not dismantle this in a day, because the displacement would be very large, but you have already begun to see the shift to wellness, to healing centers, to alternative methods of energy healing. And with the arrival of your star brothers and sisters this will become even more so.

So not only universal medical care, but universal healthcare and the right to wellness is going to become the simple stand-alone fact over the next year to two years. Oh, and it will happen much more quickly in the United States.

SB: Oh, that’s good to hear. So many people are bankrupted by a sudden illness. And it never should be that way.

AAM: It is an atrocity that one may suffer and die because one does not have adequate money. That is absurd.