Ed Miliband returns to Labour shadow cabinet under Keir Starmer
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband has returned to the frontbench as shadow business and energy secretary in Sir Keir Starmer’s new look shadow cabinet.
Miliband will join Anneliese Dodds, announced as shadow chancellor yesterday, and new shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry in Labour’s key economic and business portfolios.
Starmer appears to have purged the vast majority of Corbynista MPS from key positions, with leadership rival Rebecca Long-Bailey one of the few to survive the cull.
Long-Bailey will be the party’s shadow education secretary, while key Corbyn allies Richard Burgon, Dan Carden, Dawn Butler, Ian Lavery, Baroness Shami Chakrabati and Barry Gardiner have all been sacked.
The shadow cabinet is dominated by those on the soft left and right factions of the party with Lisa Nandy as foreign secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds as home secretary, David Lammy as shadow justice secretary, Jonathan Ashworth as shadow health secretary and John Healey as shadow defence secretary.
Deputy leadership candidates Rossena Allin-Khan and Ian Murray enter the frontbench as shadow mental health and Scottish secretary respectively.
Former shadow Treasury minister Jonathan Reynolds has been appointed as shadow work and pensions secretary and Jo Stevens as shadow digital secretary.
In a statement, Starmer said: “I’m proud to have appointed a shadow cabinet that showcases the breadth, depth and talents of the Labour Party.
“This is a new team that will be relentlessly focused on acting in the national interest to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding Labour so that it can win the next election.”
Labour’s shadow cabinet in full
· Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition
· Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader and Chair of the Labour Party
· Anneliese Dodds, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
· Lisa Nandy, Shadow Foreign Secretary
· Nick Thomas-Symonds, Shadow Home Secretary
· Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
· David Lammy, Shadow Justice Secretary
· John Healey, Shadow Defence Secretary
· Ed Miliband, Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Secretary
· Emily Thornberry, Shadow International Trade Secretary
· Jonathan Reynolds, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary
· Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
· Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Education Secretary
· Jo Stevens, Shadow Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
· Bridget Philipson, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
· Luke Pollard, Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary
· Steve Reed, Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary
· Thangam Debbonaire, Shadow Housing Secretary
· Jim McMahon, Shadow Transport Secretary
· Preet Kaur Gill, Shadow International Development Secretary
· Louise Haigh, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary (interim)
· Ian Murray, Shadow Scotland Secretary
· Nia Griffith, Shadow Wales Secretary
· Marsha de Cordova, Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary
· Andy McDonald, Shadow Employment Rights and Protections Secretary
· Rosena Allin-Khan, Shadow Minister for Mental Health
· Cat Smith, Shadow Minister for Young People and Voter Engagement
· Lord Falconer, Shadow Attorney General
· Valerie Vaz, Shadow Leader of the House
· Nick Brown, Opposition Chief Whip
· Baroness Smith, Shadow Leader of the Lords
· Lord McAvoy, Lords’ Opposition Chief Whip