How Umunna and Reeves are leading the charge of the 2010 intake
An interesting dynamic to watch is how these two ambitious newbies get on with Ed Balls.
By Rafael Behr Published 07 October 2011 14:44
Ed Miliband has put his shadow cabinet house in order. It isn't a full Grand Designs-style rebuild, more a fresh lick of paint and some urgent structural repairs. (For a start he had two big holes to fill after John Denham and John Healey resigned last night.)
As generally predicted, members of the 2010 intake have been aggressively promoted -- Rachel Reeves, who covered pensions before, has shown herself capable of being an effective, attacking opposition player even with a highly technical brief and has been rewarded with the job of Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Chuka Umunna was tipped for big things even before he was officially selected as an election candidate in Streatham last year. Now he gets a chance at the top table as shadow business secretary. He's a good media performer and will give the portfolio a higher profile.
Expect more from Labour on small businesses, the junior business brief Umunna had until today. Part of the strategy (although you'd never have guessed it) is to woo smaller enterprises, the self-employed etc over as part of Miliband's assault on "vested interests". The Labour leader wants to be on the side of "the little guy" against giant corporate monopolies and bankers. If he pulls it off it would be an audacious political land grab -- small business is traditional Tory terrain.
An interesting dynamic to watch will be how Reeves and Umunna, two ambitious newbies with things to say about the economy, get along with Ed Balls. He is Reeves's boss on the Treasury team now, of course. But not Chuka's...
The big surprise is Stephen Twigg's move to Education. He is part of the 2010 intake, although he was first elected to parliament in 1997, defeating a famously stunned Michael Portillo in Enfield and Southgate. It was a dramatic moment that for many symbolised the scale of the Tory rout. Twigg is a Blairite by reputation and the move probably reflects Labour's recognition of the need for a more sophisticated critique of Michael Gove's school reforms -- themselves conceived as an extension of Blair's education agenda -- than Andy Burnham had managed.
Burnham moves to health. Last night I wrote on the blog that this was rumoured, but I questioned whether he would be any more effective against Lansley than he was against Gove. I still have my doubts.
Labour has a bigger problem when it comes to the health and education briefs, which is that the party's ideological position on the use of markets, private sector providers and consumer choice in the public sector is unclear. If Burnham couldn't express a view on that question with regard to schools, what makes anyone think he'll express one clearly over hospitals?
And without giving the impresion that he's denouncing government policy without any prospect of an alternative reform agenda. But then, I suppose, just attacking government policy on the NHS is an easier hit -- voters are primed to fear the effects of Tory policy on hospitals, less so with schools.
Liz Kendall, who I mentioned as a rising star with a command of the health portfolio, will be attending shadow cabinet as minister for care and older people. All in all, it looks like a sensible re-jig, not too cautious but not a drastic long-knife frenzy either.
One appointment, sure to attract much notice, is the appointment of Tom Watson, scourge of Murdoch, to the role of deputy party chair and campaign coordinator. He has always been a formidable political attack dog and Miliband is clearly hoping he will get his teeth into more than just News International. But before he was hailed as a hero for his role in hackgate, Watson had a reputation as a ruthless internal party schemer. There will be plenty of people warning Ed to keep him on a tight leash.
The full list of new shadow cabinet appointments is here.
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14 comments
Bonwick Jones, be very careful, the last person to accuse Tom Watson of smears cost the publisher a fortune.
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2009/05/20/iain-dale-costs-mail-substantial...
I think this is an excellent reshuffle and this team is going to prove more than a handful for the Tories. Ed should ignore the doubters they were always going to criticise no matter what he said or done, personally, I am getting sick of hearing them and I have just stopped reading most of them. I do not agree that Andy Burnham was not on top of his brief with Gove, he landed more than one punch on him and I am delighted he is back in health where I think he will do an excellent job and his experience is much needed.
All in all I think this is going to prove a decisive shadow cabinet.
@ Bonwick Jones - I am so glad you do not intend to listen to a single words Ed Miliband says in future, that should make any comment you have about the labour party null and void and mean you can also give commenting on here a rest, honestly, the tripe you write is a s risible joke, talk about ill-informed!
@ Gracie, only David Cameron can deal with the problems this country is now facing, not the people who pretend they are Labour, but then again they have been doing that for the past 13 years! Ed Miliband is a fake, in the same way Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Margaret Thatcher were.
Congratulations to the newly promoted. I like the look of this reshuffle - hopefully it will help to get the fight and energy back into the oppositions game
Chukka Ummuna??
So i need to get this right in my heait's 2016, at an Anglo-China trade negociation, and spearheading for the UK is a 33 year old... Clearly Mr Milliband does not know how the Asian mind works and or even that someone this young and with no meat on his CV would actually be perceived as an insult to the Chinese delegation. It would be an afront to their protocols.
However, we can't judge Chukka on this- let's hear what he's got to say on BIS (the last guy was very quiet). And less leagl nonsense, let's get real ideas how to create jobs...
Rachel will get her teeth ino Danny Alexander and soon make mincemeat of him. And Chukka will show up Vince to be the fading ging star that he is bereft of any new ideas or solutions.
But some of the names are a bit suspect. But its a start with Ed choosing who he wants.
Chuka umunna is far too much of a novice to get his teeth into anyone, nice enough chap but not too sure what business leaders will make of him, prehaps he will teach them about the preditor thing!
I do feel sorry for young Danny, but i'm sure he can deal with her!
Where is Peter Hain,He is waisted in wales.
They have missed a trick with not putting Tom Watson in Madia, Sport and Culture, I am sure Jeremy Hunt would have prefered him as his opposite number rather than Harriet.
So this is the team Ed Miliband believes will convince us to make him first minister to the queen, don't tell her or she may take herself off to the Tower of London!
Bonwick Jones.
Why the last para? when it looked like you were putting your political alliance aside for once, to give credit where credit is deserve.
Well done Ed on this brilliant re-shuffle.
Uhh pretty deece deece. Just ahh a small ahh..issue I have here. Who's this Ed Balls character and just how much are these two newbies 'getting on' with him...aye..aye ;)
I love Balls. Ed Balls...
Me and my geogebra wife fully support Ummuna committing homosexual acts with Ed Balls.
@ Lady J, This is not a new start, I was beginning to like Ed Miliband but not now.
Prehaps you liked Gordon Brown, His boys are back in town.
Miliband and Balls obviously, now we have Michael Dugher advisor to Gordon Brown and now to Ed Miliband, Those 3 people above as well as Tom Watson,Mc Bride and Draper were well known for smears and bulling.
A new beginning is about more than a few new faces, and some ols ones some of which are hiding in the shadows. Labour was always a honourable party Neil Kinnock for all his faults would never behave in such away, i am never going to listen to another word Ed Miliband say's.
I think Ummuna, shouldn't be underestimated, I reckon he would make a much better leader than miliband, he looks like face of the future.