Jack Cunningham
From Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to Minister for the Cabinet Office.
A former member of the cabinet of Mr James Callaghan, Mr Cunningham left No 10 Downing Street yesterday as one of the most powerful players in government.
The appointment, and a report from the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Richard Wilson, to be published today, amount to what Mr Blair believes to be a vital step in the drive for better co-ordination from the centre.
Harriet Harman
From Minister for Social Security to the back benches. She gave the impression - maybe unfairly to herself - that she was not on top of her job.
Old Labour was outraged when she disclosed in 1996 she had sent one of her sons to a grammar school. The cut in benefits to lone mothers was her undoing. It created a huge revolt of Labour backbenchers. And she more than once fluffed her lines.
Ms Harman was on the fast track. She simply swerved off it.
Frank Field
From junior Minister for Social Security to the back benches.
Left government after seeking but failing to get Ms Harman's job as Social Security Secretary.
Mr Blair's spokesman stressed that the Prime Minister still held "very great admiration" for Mr Field. He told him he had been an important player in the development of the welfare reform Green Paper but did not feel able to offer him the job he wanted.
Baroness Jay
From junior Minister of Health and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords to Leader of the House of Lords.
The daughter of Lord Callaghan, her personal life has attracted much publicity. She was married for 18 years to Mr Peter Jay, former British ambassador to the US, and had a much-publicised affair in 1979 with the Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. His wife, Nora Ephron, got even by writing a comic autobiographical novel, Heartburn.
Nick Brown
From Chief Whip to junior Minister of Agriculture.
Among Labour MPs it was seen as demotion. His problem is that he has not attempted to hide his closeness to the Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown, being his main lieutenant in parliament.
Mr Brown was blamed for helping a journalist, Paul Routledge, write a book about the chancellor last year on the depth of his desire to become prime minister.