The new Shadow Cabinet
Despite losing out in Labour’s Shadow Cabinet elections, Shaun Woodward has resumed his post as Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary. The Labour leader can select some unsuccessful candidates for his frontbench team.
Woodward remarked that he was “incredibly proud” to be re-appointed; he was backed by 72 of the 255 Labour MPs.
Paul Goggins has returned to the backbenches. His replacement as Shadow NIO Minister is Eric Joyce, a former army major who served in Northern Ireland. Joyce is MP for Falkirk.
agendaNi asked Labour why Woodward was offered the post and whether it was offered to any other MP. A spokesman declined to comment, except to say: “Shaun Woodward was an excellent Northern Ireland Secretary and will be an excellent shadow Northern Ireland Secretary.”
Four shadow ministers have strong UK-wide remits:
| Shadow Chancellor | Alan Johnson |
| Home Affairs | Ed Balls |
| Work and Pensions | Douglas Alexander |
| Shadow Chief Secretary | Angela Eagle |
Most social and economic policy posts have non-devolved responsibilities (e.g. on air transport, broadcasting, constitutional reform). These are as follows:
| Business | John Denham |
| Cabinet Office | Liam Byrne |
| Culture | Ivan Lewis |
| Energy | Meg Hillier |
| Environment | Mary Creagh |
| Justice | Sadiq Khan |
| Olympics | Tessa Jowell |
| Transport | Maria Eagle |
| Shadow Attorney-General | Baroness Scotland |
Maria Eagle served in the NIO from 2006 to 2007. Andy Burnham is election co-ordinator, a particularly relevant job for Labour’s Northern Ireland members who hope to stand in local elections next spring.
Three portfolios are almost exclusively for English policy:
| Communities | Caroline Flint |
| Education | Andy Burnham |
| Health | John Healey |
Scotland is represented by Ann McKechin and Wales by Peter Hain.
Three other ministers have a mainly overseas role:
| Defence | Jim Murphy |
| Foreign Affairs | Yvette Cooper |
| International Development | Harriet Harman |
A further five posts are internal jobs within Parliament:
| Shadow Commons Leader | Hilary Benn |
| Common Chief Whip | Rosie Winterton |
| Shadow Lords Leader | Baroness Royall |
| Lords Chief Whip | Lord Bassam |
| Parliamentary Labour Party Chair | Tony Lloyd |
Woodward has called on the Coalition to protect the PSNI from spending cuts, due to the dissident threat, and emphasised the need for a “fair” process to deal with the Troubles’ legacy. Miliband mentioned the province briefly in his acceptance, thanking Tony Blair for his leadership in the peace process.
Labour’s Northern Ireland Chairman, Kevin McAdam, looked forward to working with Miliband to help strengthen the local party.
“We view the leadership race as a useful opportunity to review the past years in government and renew the party’s commitments for the future,” he commented.
“Ed’s election as leader has brought a vibrancy to [the] party conference and we will now unite in the role of opposition and focus on what is the next challenge to replace the Lib Dem cons.”
Fifteen of the last Brown’s Cabinet ministers now have shadow roles, with the remaining eight becoming backbenchers again.
