The Labour leader has been putting the finishing touches on his reshuffle. And it’s the 2015 intake of Labour MPs who are the clear winners.
Here is the latest round of appointments:
Jo Stevens MP (Cardiff Central) appointed Shadow Solictor General in the Shadow Cabinet.
Imran Hussain MP (Bradford East) appointed Shadow Minister, Department for International Development.
Kate Osamor MP (Edmonton) appointed Shadow Minister, Women and Equalities.
Thangam Debbonaire MP (Bristol West) appointed Shadow Minister, Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Dave Anderson MP (Blaydon) appointed as a Whip.
The Labour newbies, a generally more left-leaning batch than the pre-May 2015 PLP, have done well out of Jeremy Corbyn’s new frontbench line-up. Out of the list above, all but Anderson were elected in 2015. And there are plenty more on the frontbench – I can count 22, including the whips’ team.
Corbyn’s detractors would characterise this as a failure of Labour’s top team to find experienced, high-profile MPs who are willing to serve in their shadow government. But I think these appointments look positive for the Corbyn project, and for what he’s trying to achieve – a long-term shift in Labour’s politics to the left. He is giving power (or as much power as it is possible to have in this context) to those who are closest to his politics in the party; the new, leftier Labour intake is being fast-tracked to seniority.
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