SOUTH-West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt picked up the plum job of health secretary in Tuesday's Cabinet reshuffle.

But the high-profile promotion comes at a price as Mr Hunt is now tasked with overseeing the biggest ever NHS shake-up when it comes into force next April.

Proposals in the controversial Health and Social Care Bill for England include giving GPs control of much of the NHS budget and opening up the health service to greater competition from the private and voluntary sector from April 2013.

The promotion was widely seen as a very public vote of confidence by the Prime Minister in his former Culture Secretary, who survived calls for his resignation and a Leveson Inquiry examination into his relationship with James Murdoch in light of News Corporation's bid for BSkyB in 2011.

For full story, see this week's Herald.