MICHAEL Howard's re-shuffle brought good news.

Indeed Worcestershire and Herefordshire could even consider itself something of a Tory powerbase, with every MP now holding a senior post in one form or another.

Julie Kirkbride enjoyed a huge promotion to the post of shadow secretary of state for culture, Peter Luff remains number three in the whips' office - one of only a handful of paid jobs in the entire Parliamentary party - and Bill Wiggin is the new shadow secretary of state for Wales.

But there was controversy, too, as Bill walked straight into an entirely predictable row about the fact he isn't Welsh.

Even by Westminster standards, Welsh politics is particularly vicious and they lined up to attack the Leominster MP.

Peter Hain, who combines a job as Welsh Secretary and leader of the Commons, said: said: "This decision just shows the utter contempt that the Tory Party still has for Wales. Not a single MP in Wales, and now not even bothering to ensure Wales' voice is heard at the top table of the Tory Party."

Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Welsh Assembly, Mike German, said: "The Conservatives keep on digging their way into a muddle over how Wales is governed."

Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd was most upset. He said: "I'm sure that most people in Wales will be asking the same question as me this evening: Bill who?

"Being able to see Wales on a clear day from his Leominster constituency hardly qualifies Mr Wiggin to take up this post.

"The question I would like answered is if there should ever be a conflict of interest between the wishes of the voters of Leominster and the needs of Wales, which would take priority for Mr Wiggin? I think we all know the answer to that."

But Bill, a former member of the Welsh select committee who has a long-standing and legitimate interest in the country's affairs (for starters, his constituents use hospitals there), thankfully had plenty of people willing to offer support.

Tory leader in the Welsh Assembly and former Parliamentary candidate for Worcester Nick Bourne led the charge. He said: "Bill Wiggin is someone I know very well, he has been to the Assembly on a number of occasions."

And he's not the first non-Welsh MP to hold the post, after all. Lord Walker was a perfectly good Secretary of State for Wales... and he was MP for Worcester.