Several ministerial posts remain unfilled after the departure of "goats" - members of Gordon Brown's "government of all the talents" - as has been colourfully demonstrated by Mark Malloch Brown, who has today performed an embarrassing climb-down over his admission that the forces are ill-equipped in Afghanistan. Along with the resignation of the junior Treasury minister Kitty Usher, Whitehall insiders are expecting a "mini-reshuffle" following tomorrow's by-election in Norwich North. Mandarins, wary of further changes, are still reeling from last month's reshuffle which - had it not been for the last minute decision to retain Alistair Darling as Chancellor - would have resulted in the end of the Brown Government.