Liam Byrne replacing Hazel Blears, one of the highest-profile roles in the government outside the cabinet. However, just a fortnight later Home Secretary John Reid moved him to the immigration role, switching portfolios with Tony McNulty. McNulty had been connected with the foreign prisoners scandal that caused Tony Blair to sack Charles Clarke in May 2006. Byrne's move was seen as an attempt by Reid to establish an entirely new team to sort out the immigration system. During this period he was also Minister for the West Midlands. Gordon Brown named him Minister for the Cabinet Office in October 2008, replacing the
Preservation of the Rights of Prisoners as to bring about a reduction in crime." PROP's foundation meeting was held in Hull and was attended by 60 people. Speakers included Norwegian sociologist Thomas Mathiesen, Jack Ashwell local branch secretary of the TGWU and Ros Kane from Radical Alternatives to Prison. The sociologist Mike Fitzgerald took on the role of Press Officer. Later, on 4 August 1972, PROP organise a 24-hour general strike involving 10,000 prisoners in 33 prisons in favour of the demands in the PROP charter. The prisons involved included: Preservation of the Rights of Prisoners Preservation of the Rights of Prisoners (PROP) was a prisoner's