Starmer appoints Sheffield MP as interim shadow NI secretary
SHEFFIELD Heeley MP Louise Haigh has been named as the interim shadow Northern Ireland secretary by new Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Labour described it as “interim” appointment as her predecessor Tony Lloyd is currently in hospital being treated for coronavirus.
Ms Haigh’s appointment comes after a series of confident displays at the despatch box in her shadow Home Office role.
She tweeted yesterday: “All my love and best wishes to Tony and his family for a very speedy recovery.”
The former shadow policing and crime minister was one of 36 Labour MPS to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015.
Ms Haigh, who voted in favour of reform of the abortion law in Northern Ireland last year, was the youngest Labour member of that Parliament.
Meanwhile, Ed Miliband will return to the Labour frontbench under Sir Keir as the new leader revealed an overhauled shadow cabinet that includes his former leadership rivals.
Mr Miliband — succeeded by Jeremy Corbyn after leading the party to electoral defeat — was named as the new shadow business secretary yesterday.
His predecessor in the role Rebecca Long-bailey has been moved to education and joins fellow leadership rivals Lisa Nandy and Emily Thornberry in Sir Keir’s top team.
David Lammy, a leading voice against the Windrush scandal who practised as a barrister, was named as shadow justice secretary.
The moves will be seen as an attempt to unite a fractured party, bringing back some names from the recent past while holding on to some who excelled under Mr Corbyn.
Sir Keir said: “I’m proud to have appointed a shadow cabinet that showcases the breadth, depth and talents of the Labour Party. This is a new team that will be relentlessly focused on acting in the national interest to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding Labour so that it can win the next election.”
Mr Miliband led a more moderate party than his successor Mr Corbyn, who guided Labour to its worst general election defeat since 1935.
His return comes after he found fresh popularity hosting a podcast in the wake of his 2015 general election defeat.
He spent five years as Labour leader until 2015 and also served as energy and climate change secretary in the Government of Gordon Brown.
Mr Miliband has continued to display a keen interest in climate change matters from the backbenches.
Ms Thornberry has been appointed shadow international trade secretary, after Ms Nandy replaced her in the role of shadow foreign secretary. Mr Lammy returns from the backbenches having been brought into government by Tony Blair.
Ian Murray, who ran for the deputy leadership, returns as shadow Scotland secretary after resigning from the role under Mr Corbyn while criticising his leadership.
Dr Rosena Allin-khan, who also unsuccessfully stood to be deputy and who continues to work as a hospital doctor, is shadow minister for mental health.
John Healey was moved to become shadow defence secretary having served in education for Mr Corbyn.
He replaces Nia Griffith, who in turn is now shadow Welsh secretary for a second time in her career.
But allies of Mr Corbyn also lost out, with Richard Burgon not making the cut and Baroness Chakrabarti no longer having a role.
Sir Keir was reshaping the party having secured 56% of the 490,731 votes cast in the threemonth leadership contest.
Ashton-under-lyne MP Angela Rayner won the deputy leadership race.