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Stephen Timms is new e-commerce minister

Graeme Wearden ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 29 May 2002 15:12 BST

Douglas Alexander, who was appointed as e-commerce minister last year, was moved to the Cabinet Office on Wednesday and replaced by Stephen Timms MP, formerly the schools minister.

The move is part of the Cabinet reshuffle taking place following the resignation on Tuesday of Stephen Byers, ex-secretary of state for transport.

The Department of Trade and Industry has confirmed to ZDNet UK that Alexander has vacated the e-commerce brief, and that Timms, MP for East Ham, is his replacement.

Before entering parliament through a by-election in 1994, Timms worked for analyst group Ovum and managed their telecommunications reports business. He has also been employed by Logica.

According to his Web site, he has served as the honorary president of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee and also advised Labour's information society policy forum before the party won power in 1997.

Alexander, seen as a rising star of the Labour Party, was seen by many as a surprise appointment last year. He had been been criticised for not making himself more available for to the media, but in his time as e-commerce minister he was deeply involved in the issue of broadband.

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