Heseltine: Appealed to Blair

Michael Hesletine re-appointed to Millennium Commission

Mrs Bottomley chaired the commission when she was National Heritage Secretary, but it is now chaired by her successor, Labour's Chris Smith. The Tories had two seats on the nine-strong commission while in government, but they're now entitled to only one and John Major has appointed Mr Heseltine. It will keep him at the heart of the row over whether the £600 million Greenwich exhibition should be scaled down.

As Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Heseltine took a leading role in encouraging businesses to sponsor the Greenwich exhibition, the centrepiece of Britain's millennium commemorations. Earlier this year, amid warnings that time was running out for contracts to be signed to build the exhibition centre, Mr Heseltine paid a personal visit to Tony Blair to urge him to guarantee that a Labour Government would back the project.

Exhibition under review

With Mr Heseltine back on the commission, he will be leading the Tories' battle to save the exhibition and ensure it goes ahead, as he had planned, in Greenwich. Downing Street said, "Mr Heseltine will hold office until 31 December 2000 or until the Conservative party ceases to be the largest Opposition party, whichever is sooner."