Labour’s reshuffle is coming – but what kind of Shadow Cabinet does Miliband want?

I realise I’ve been talking about Ed Miliband’s proposed Shadow Cabinet reshuffle for the best part of eight months now, but to be fair, so have Miliband and his team. It’s looking likely that today is the day that Miliband will make his move. nothing has been confirmed yet, but recess ends at lunchtime tomorrow and it seems Miliband wants his new team in place by then. The end, for some shadow cabinet members, is nigh.

We’ve had all sorts of rumours about who might come and go from the Shadow Cabinet. Pretty much all of it is guesswork though. Miliband has kept his cards close to his chest, and I’d imagine that there are half a dozen people (at most) who actually know what he has planned. Whilst there have been some plausible rumours doing the rounds (Reeves to DWP, promotion for Owen Smith) most of them are based on the reasonable assumption that Miliband will want more women, and more new faces in his Shadow Cabinet. A few months ago I highlighted who some of those faces might be – keep an eye on these names today. And of course, when the reshuffle comes, we’ll have our customary liveblog with all of the latest updates.

But for Miliband to decide who should be in his Shadow Cabinet, he first needs to have a clear idea of what his Shadow Cabinet will look like:

New faces or greybeards? – This one has already been decided. In fact, this reshuffle looks like it’s going to be entirely about putting shiny new MPs into more prominent positions in the Shadow Cabinet, signifying a clear break from the last government whilst also encouraging those who have energy, enthusiasm and the ability to proactively generate media coverage. One of the most compelling moments of Labour conference was seeing Rachel Reeves being asked about Damian McBride. Her answer? I don’t know I wasn’t there. Miliband might want a bit more of that. As for the greybeards, I think one or two would be very useful for Ed, but it’s been made clear that won’t happen.

50% women – Miliband has said before that it’s his aim to have a Shadow Cabinet that is 50% women. Now is his chance – if you’re a female MP elected in 2010, this may be your best chance to get into Labour’s top ranks. Fortunately, there’s a rather strong pool of candidates. I’d expect Miliband to get close to gender balance in his Shadow Cabinet – emphasising the difference between the opposition and the government on that score.

Loyalists or SCOATs? – Perhaps the most difficult decision for Miliband isn’t about new faces or gender balance though, it’s about what kind of people he wants to surround himself with. It’s no secret that there are some in the Shadow Cabinet who are less keen on Miliband’s policies and style of leadership than others, but many of them are rather good at their jobs. So what will it be – loyalist Milibandites? Or SCOATS (Shadow Cabinet Of All the Talents).

In a few hours, we shall see…