Jonathan Ashworth to replace Tom Watson on Labour’s NEC

It’s still not quite a week since Tom Watson stepped down from the Shadow Cabinet – although it seems like far longer considering everything that followed.

One loose end that has yet to be tied up from Watson’s departure is his position on Labour’s NEC (he was a representative of the leader on the party’s ruling body). There was little discussion of this last week, with people unsurprisingly focused on his shadow cabinet role. But today this will be rectified, with Jonathan Ashworth moving onto the NEC in Watson’s place.

Ashworth has a wealth of experience in how the party works, having been a Miliband staffer (amongst a variety of other roles) and is widely respected within the party hierarchy. Although he has only been an MP for around 2 years – being elected in a May 2011 by-election – he’s already working as a whip.

Best of luck to him on his new role.