British PM reshuffles his cabinet on Twitter

LONDON: Getting the latest news on a British government reshuffle once meant loitering for hours in Downing Street waiting for ministers to emerge from the prime minister's office and judging their fate by the look on their face.

But in this age of social media, David Cameron unveiled a major shake-up of his cabinet on Tuesday via his two official Twitter accounts, which between them boast 3.4 million followers.

"I'll be reshuffling the Cabinet today. Watch this Twitter feed for the very latest. #Reshuffle," the premier announced overnight.

When his Conservative party was still in opposition in 2009, Cameron famously explained his reluctance to join Twitter, saying: "The instantness of it, I think -- too many t*** might make a t***."

But he is now firmly on board, and amid the swirling and often contradictory rumours in Westminster, @Number10gov and @David_Cameron became an authoritative source of information about who was in and who was out.

Government ministries routinely use Twitter and more than 450 of the 650 members of the House of Commons have accounts, with former foreign secretary William Hague one of the most enthusiastic users.

Hague would often tweet reaction to breaking news to his 240,000 followers well before an official statement arrived from the Foreign Office -- to the occasional consternation of the staff in the press office.

Hague's replacement, former defence secretary Philip Hammond, has yet to set up an official account and a spokesman said it was "too early" to say how he would use social media.

True to form, Hague announced his resignation via @WilliamJHague on Monday night just as Cameron tweeted a message of thanks for his four years in the job.

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British PM reshuffles his cabinet on Twitter