DOWNING Street today rubbished reports Blackburn MP Jack Straw was to lose his cabinet post.

A Sunday newspaper claimed Foreign Secretary Mr Straw, who took over at the Foreign Office six months ago after his Home Secretary post, is facing the axe in an early cabinet reshuffle planned by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

But a spokesman for Number 10 said today: "This is tittle tattle and gossip. The PM believes Jack Straw is an excellent foreign secretary and there is no suggestion of reshuffle."

Mr Straw said today he had not seen the story and would not comment on such speculation.