Keir Starmer has completed what is likely to be a final shadow cabinet reshuffle before a general election, keeping his most senior lineup the same but making lots of other promotions and demotions. Here is a guide to the main changes, in categories that at times cross over. Newcomers and returnees Liz Kendall A first full shadow cabinet role for the long-serving Leicester West MP, who moves from a junior shadow health role to take the work and pensions brief. In parliament since 2010, Kendall is seen as firmly on the right of the party. Standing for party leader after the 2015 election loss, she came last out of four candidates. Hilary Benn Even more experienced than Kendall – he has been an MP since 1999 – Benn held a series of cabinet-level and ministerial jobs under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Replacing Peter Kyle as shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Benn was, little more than an hour later, in the Commons speaking about the brief.
Darren Jones A first frontbench role for the 2017-intake MP who has shone in his grilling of executives and others as chair of the Commons business committee. Jones had been tipped to take the science shadow cabinet job, but instead gets the still-vital role as number two to Rachel Reeves in the Treasury brief. On the rise Shabana Mahmood In what Labour officials describe as in effect a reward for her much-praised but low-profile stint as national campaign coordinator, the Birmingham MP, formerly a barrister, takes over the justice brief.
Thangam Debbonaire The Bristol West MP also gets a prize at the end of two years in an important but less public-facing job – shadow leader of the Commons – with one of the more fun roles, shadowing the culture, media and sport brief. She has personal experience of the area after studying cello at the Royal College of Music. Peter Kyle The energetic Hove MP, who spent nearly two years as shadow Northern Ireland secretary, becomes the first occupant of the shadow science role, after the creation earlier this year of a new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, a definite promotion. On election watch Pat McFadden A regular presence on the morning broadcast round TV sofas as the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, the long-serving Wolverhampton South East MP has the long and double title of shadow chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster as well as national campaign coordinator, the broad remit of the first job allowing plenty of time for the second. Ellie Reeves Another relatively new arrival, from 2017, Reeves – the younger sister of Rachel Reeves – has moved from a shadow justice role to be made deputy national campaign coordinator. While McFadden will focus more on the politics, Reeves will cover logistics, not least the string of imminent byelections.
Demoted or gone Jonathan Ashworth While Labour officials say this is a sideways move that belongs in the above category, Ashworth’s shift from shadow work and pensions secretary to shadow paymaster general, a Cabinet Office job, will definitely feel lower status, no matter how much he is treated as a mobile “shadow minister for the Today programme” to get out Labour’s pre-election message. Lisa Nandy Similarly, however much officials might stress the importance of the international development role, this is a long way from levelling up, and from her job before that of shadow foreign secretary – a department into which her current brief has been merged. Nandy is an effective communicator, but some around Starmer seem to view her as a bit of a loose cannon – and she is also, unlike her leader, on the soft left of the party. Jim McMahon Seemingly tipped for demotion for ever, the Oldham West and Royton MP dodged the inevitable by announcing that he would resign as shadow environment secretary, saying he wanted to “focus on getting my health back to full strength so that I can make a full and active contribution to the general election campaign”. Rosena Allin-Khan The shadow mental health minister unexpectedly stepped down. While her resignation letter was neutral, it is understood that the MP for Tooting in south London wanted the role to be given shadow cabinet status, and walked after being told it would not.