
Bradshaw takes over from Andy Burnham, who has been promoted to Health Secretary as part of Gordon Brown's reshuffle. Burnham has been the job since the beginning of 2008, taking over from James Purnell who today quit the government.
Bradshaw, the MP for Exeter, won his seat in 1997. Before entering Parliament, he worked as a newspaper and radio journalist, starting his career in 1984 with Exeter's local paper the Express & Echo before moving onto BBC Radio Devon.