
Harriet Harman has reshuffled the Shadow Cabinet following the defeats of Douglas Alexander, Ed Balls and Margaret Curran, and the resignations of Jon Cruddas and Sadiq Khan.
At the Shadow Treasury team, Chris Leslie, previously the Shadow Chief Secretary for the Treasury, moves up to be Shadow Chancellor. Shabana Mahmood, previously a shadow minister at the Treasury, takes his place. Lord Falconer, who was the first Secretary of State for Justice following Tony Blair’s modernisation of that department, replaces Sadiq Khan at the head of the Justice team. The Shadow Foreign team springs a surprise as Hilary Benn takes the role of Shadow Foreign Secretary, with Emma Reynolds moving up from the shadow housing brief to Shadow Communities and Local Government. Ian Murray, Labour’s sole remaining Scottish MP, will serve as Shadow Scotland Secretary.
It means, among other things, that Dan Jarvis will be facing off against Michael Gove in the House of Commons. Khan’s resignation allows him to focus on his run for Labour’s mayoral nomination, while Cruddas will chair an independent inquiry into Labour’s defeat.
The party’s frontbenches are still left depleted by the defeats in Scotland and elsewhere. Depending on the timeframe agreed by Labour’s National Executive Committee, Harman may conduct a wider reshuffle of the lower tiers of the Opposition frontbench.
The full list of appointments is below.
Leader of the Opposition and Acting Leader of the Labour Party
Harriet Harman MP
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chris Leslie MP
Shadow Foreign Secretary
Hilary Benn MP
Shadow Home Secretary
Yvette Cooper MP
Shadow Lord Chancellor, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Opposition Chief Whip
Rosie Winterton MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Andy Burnham MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
Chuka Umunna MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Rachel Reeves MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Tristram Hunt MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Vernon Coaker MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Emma Reynolds MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Caroline Flint MP
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and Chair of the National Policy Forum
Angela Eagle MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Michael Dugher MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Ivan Lewis MP
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
Mary Creagh MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
Ian Murray MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
Owen Smith MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Maria Eagle MP
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
Lucy Powell MP
Shadow Minister without Portfolio and Deputy Party Chair
Jon Trickett MP
Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
Gloria De Piero MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Chris Bryant MP
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Shabana Mahmood MP
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Lords Chief Whip
Lord Bassam of Brighton
Also attending Shadow Cabinet:
Shadow Minister for Care and Older People
Liz Kendall MP
Shadow Attorney General
Lord Bach