HIGH-flying Bolton MP Ruth Kelly was being tipped for early promotion to ministerial office today after being invited to a Downing Street brain-storming session.

The 29-year-old former Guardian journalist and Bank of England economist, who is expecting her second child, was one of only three Labour backbenchers invited to the meeting with the Prime Minister.

They were among 25 "thinkers" asked to dream up ideas for the future of New Labour.

Mr Blair hopes that he can produce a raft of policies that will keep the momentum going up to the next election and beyond.

And the choice of Mrs Kelly for such a high-powered think tank is a key sign that she is in his thinking for ministerial office.

Although unlikely to be promoted in this summer's expected re-shuffle, few doubt that she will be a minister before the next election, probably as part of Chancellor Gordon Brown's treasury team.

She is frequently used by the Government as an unofficial spokesman for the Chancellor on radio and TV, and one observer said: "She is very brainy and definitely on the fast track to the top."

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