The Labour Party shadow cabinet underwent a surprise reshuffle on Monday, here’s a look at the changes…
Yvette Cooper has returned to the front bench as shadow home secretary, having been a backbencher since her unsuccessful leadership bid in 2015. She was previously the shadow home secretary under Ed Miliband’s leadership, and before that served as work and pensions secretary in Gordon Brown’s cabinet.
Ed Miliband has had his brief reduced, remaining as shadow climate change and net zero secretary, while losing the business portion of his brief.
Johnathan Reynolds has taken up Ed Miliband’s old business duties, becoming the new shadow business secretary. He was made he shadow work and pensions secretary in April of 2020 and also served as shadow city minister under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
Bridget Phillipson and Wes Streeting are two new additions to the front bench, as shadow education secretary and shadow health and social care secretary.
Lucy Powell has left the role of shadow housing secretary and is now the shadow digital, culture, media and sport secretary.
David Lammy has been named as the shadow foreign secretary, after having served as shadow secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs. He has previously held the role of shadow justice secretary, as well as having held several ministerial positions in the Blair and Brown governments.
Lisa Nandy is now the shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing, communities and local government. She previously occupied David Lammy’s new role of shadow foreign secretary. She also served under Corbyn as shadow energy and climate change secretary.
Jonathan Ashworth is the new shadow work and pensions secretary, after having held the position of shadow secretary for health in 2016 under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, who had occupied the role of shadow home secretary before the reshuffle, has been made the new shadow trade secretary.
Jim Mcmahon is now the shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs. Until the reshuffle, he held the role of shadow secretary of state for transport since April 2020. Under Corbyn, he held the role of shadow minister for local government.
Louise Haigh replaces Jim Mcmahon as shadow secretary of state for transport. She has previously held shadow minister roles for the digital economy, policing, and the civil service, as well as holding the post of shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland.
Peter Kyle is now the shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland. He has previously been shadow minister for schools and shadow minister for youth justice.
Jo Stevens has become the secretary of state for Wales. She was previously the shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport.
Former minister Pat Mcfadden is the new treasury chief secretary. He was formerly a member of the cabinet during the Brown administration.
Emily Thornberry is the new shadow attorney general.
Kate Green and Luke Pollard have lost their positions in the shadow cabinet, while Lord Falconer and Cat Smith have announced that they are standing down from their positions.
Cat Smith, formerly shadow secretary of state for young people and democracy, has resigned from the front benches in protest of the Labour Party’s continued refusal to return the party whip to Jeremy Corbyn. She has spent the majority of her 6 years as an MP in the shadow cabinet. Keir Starmer invited Cat Smith to retain her position in the cabinet, but the invitation was declined.
