Members of Labour’s shadow cabinet have been elected and appointed their roles as Ed Miliband’s shapes his new generation Labour frontbench. 10 of the 19 elected backed David for leadership and the majority are old hands coming straight out of Gordon’s shadow cabinet or from roles as junior ministers. This new generation looks suspiciously like the old.
Alan Johnson, the dark horse of the competition, has beaten Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls to be appointed Shadow Chancellor. Cooper has been given the role of foreign secretary whilst Balls has been appointed Shadow Home Secretary.
Labour’s election rules stipulate that each voter must choose 6 women and 6 men in order to ensure a degree of equality and much the female Labour population have managed to outdo this minimum by achieving 8 positions of 19 in the shadow cabinet. Ben Bradshaw, the shadow culture secretary, Pat McFadden, the shadow industry secretary and Diane Abbott, who stood in the leadership contest, all missed out on roles in Ed Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet.
Miliband said: “I am delighted with my new shadow cabinet, drawn from a broad range of talents across our party. My team is united in one central mission for the future: to win back the trust of the British people and take Labour back to power. Together this new generation of Labour will work together to reject the pessimism of this coalition government as we set out our vision of what Britain can achieve. Our values are those of the British people and this shadow cabinet will ensure that the hopes and concerns of working families are at the heart of our offer to the country.”
Labour’s new Shadow Cabinet in full:
Leader of the opposition: Ed Miliband
Deputy leader and shadow secretary of state for international development: Harriet Harman
Shadow chancellor of the exchequer: Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson was thought likely to stay on in the home office after gaining 163 votes to place him 6th in the Shadow Cabinet Elections. Johnson, a former trade union leader, held various cabinet posts working as Home Secretary and Shadow Home Secretary since 2009.
Shadow secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs and minister for women and equalities: Yvette Cooper
Cooper topped the polls with 232 votes, 40 ahead of her nearest rival, John Healey. With this resounding victory Ms Cooper strengthened her claim to a senior post, and was the favourite to land the role of Shadow Chancellor. Cooper is married to Ed Balls, a candidate who made no secret of his own desire for the role of Shadow Chancellor. Cooper rose to prominence as work and pensions secretary in the latter years of Gordon Browns reign; she was first elected in 1997 and has had three children whilst working as an MP. After his own ruthless climb to leadership Ed may have sympathized with the home wrecking potential of appointing husband or wife to the role of Chancellor. The bookmakers had Cooper as the front runner for the role with Balls playing the stay at home Dad but it appears Ed M has saved them from the argument over who wears the trousers in their relationship.
Shadow secretary of state for the home department: Ed Balls
Before today Balls stood as Shadow Education Secretary and managed 179 votes placing him third in the poll. Balls couldn’t be described as quiet about his suitability for the coveted title of Shadow Chancellor but at least has been saved the potential indignity of being beaten by his partner to the role. Balls is arguably the strongest economist in the Labour ranks but his strong views might have denied Labour the centre ground and mainstream support they are so keen to reclaim. Conservatives are keen to smear Balls as a ‘deficit denier’ as he wants to cut slower leaving the deficit to fester whilst he makes growth a priority.
Chief whip: Rosie Winterton
Winterton is the MP for Doncaster Central and was elected unopposed to the role of Chief Whip last week.
Shadow secretary of state for education and election co-ordinator: Andy Burnham
Andy Burnham achieved forth place in the vote for the shadow cabinet and has received an accordingly prestigious position in the cabinet. Burnham, who was another candidate for party leadership, previously held the role of Shadow Health Secretary and polled 165.
Shadow lord chancellor, secretary of state for justice (with responsibility for political and constitutional reform): Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan was responsible for the running of Ed Miliband’s leadership campaign and came away from the cabinet election with 128 votes to his name. Khan is a former transport minister and his support of Ed Milibands leadership will have contributed to his attainment of this role.
Shadow secretary of state for work and pensions: Douglas Alexander
Douglas Alexander was responsible for co-ordinating Gordon Brown’s election campaign and was co-chair of David Milibands leadership campaign. Alexander, the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, attained 160 votes in the cabinet election.
Shadow secretary of state for business, innovation and skills: John Denham
John Denham was one of the three shadow cabinet members that backed Ed for leadership and obtained 129 votes in the cabinet election. Denham previously held the role of Shadow Communities secretary and resigned from Blair’s government over the Iraq War before being reappointed by Brown.
Shadow secretary of state for health: John Healey
John Healey surprised all by gathering 192 votes in the Shadow Cabinet election, catapulting him into second place, over the head of Ed Balls. Healey is a former housing minister and a prominent supporter of the man he beat to second place.
Shadow secretary of state for communities and local government: Caroline Flint
Caroline Flint famously quit the government in 2009 claiming women were being sidelined, used as nothing more than ‘window dressing’ after Brown declined to put her in the cabinet. Flint, Blairite former Health Minister, took 139 votes and will return to the top of Labour politics in this role. The MP of Don Valley has proved a forceful opposition, attacking the Government’s plan to give anonymity to rape suspects.
Shadow secretary of state for defence: Jim Murphy
Jim Murphy was the other half of the chairmanship of David Miliband’s leadership campaign. The former Scottish secretary got 160 votes from his peers in the Labour party cabinet election.
Shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change: Meg Hillier
Meg Hillier got 106 votes from the party poll. She backed her London neighbour, Diane Abbott, for the leadership but is an instinctively leadership-loyal London centre-right politician.
Shadow leader of the House of Commons: Hilary Benn
Hilary Benn, son of the veteran Labour left-winger Tony Benn, got 128 votes from his peers. The Leeds MP failed in his bid for deputy leadership of the Labour party despite being bookmakers favourite after early party polls. Benn, a former Environment Secretary, was another who backed Ed for leadership and has been rewarded.
Shadow secretary of state for transport: Maria Eagle
The less well-known twin of Angela Eagle, Maria got 107 votes. Eagle who entered parliament in 1997, 5 years after her sister, is MP of Garston and Halewood and a former Equalities Minister.
Shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs: Mary Creagh
Mary Creagh obtained 119 votes and is the least experienced Shadow Cabinet Member, never having held a ministerial post. Creagh nominated David Miliband for the leadership despite her seats proximity to Balls and Cooper. Creagh has had just one year on the Labour front bench as a whip and has been the MP for Wakefield since 2005.
Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury: Angela Eagle
Angela Eagle is the second-highest-scoring woman in the Shadow Cabinet contest with 165 votes. She served as a minister for five years under Tony Blair but was sacked in 2002. Gordon Brown brought her back to the government as Treasury minister and pensions minister five years later. Ms Eagle, 49, was the first female MP to enter a civil partnership.
Shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland: Shaun Woodward
Woodward was not one of those elected to the Shadow Cabinet by his peers but has been confirmed in his old role through Ed Milibands selection. The shadow Northern Ireland Secretary only achieved 72 votes.
Shadow secretary of state for Scotland: Ann McKechin
As the only female candidate from Scotland, McKechin was favourite to be chosen for Shadow Scottish Secretary. A supporter of Ed Miliband, Ms McKechin is a former solicitor who served as a junior Scottish Office minister between 2008 and 2010. Her 117 votes gained her entry to the shadow cabinet.
Shadow secretary of state for Wales: Peter Hain
Peter Hain was a notable omission from the Shadow Cabinet election. The Welsh secretary was an early and close supporter of Ed Miliband. No other Welsh MP was appointed by the Labour party and as such he was an obvious choice for Ed to bring in to the cabinet.
Shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport: Ivan Lewis
Ivan Lewis is a former foreign office minister, he gained 104 votes to join the shadow cabinet. Lewis is massively experienced as a minister spending over nine years in what seems like dozens of departments.
Shadow leader of the House of Lords: Lady Royall of Blaisdon
Shadow minister for the Olympics: Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell is an ex-Cabinet Office minister and Culture Secretary. She is already experienced in the role of minister for the Olympics and obtained 152 votes placing her 9th in the party poll. At 63, after 13 straight years as a minister and survival of both the Blair and Brown cabinets Jowell may struggle to qualify for the ‘New’ tag of Ed’s generation.
Shadow minister for the Cabinet Office: Liam Byrne
Liam Byrne got the smallest number of votes of any in the shadow cabinet with only 100 to his name and has yet to live down his nototious ‘theres no money left’ note left for his successor in the treasury. Unsurprisingly he has not been let near the treasury again but with a management consultancy background he could have been well placed to shadow Vince Cable in the business department.
Lords chief whip: Lord Bassam of Brighton
Shadow attorney general: Lady Scotland
Also attending shadow cabinet meetings:
Shadow minister of state for the Cabinet Office: Jon Trickett
Image courtesy of The Guardian
