Dawn Butler replaces Sarah Champion as shadow women and equalities minister

Dawn Butler has replaced Sarah Champion as shadow women and equalities minister.

A high profile figure in Labour’s general election campaign, the Brent Central MP is already in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet. She had the brief of shadow minister for diverse communities.

Butler said on her appointment: “I am honoured to accept this appointment and would like to thank Sarah Champion for all the hard work she has done in the role.

“Labour will tackle all forms of discrimination and the ways they interact. Equality is equality, you can’t pick and choose. I have always fought for those who feel voiceless and I will fight to deliver real equality in our country.”

Corbyn said: “I am delighted to appoint Dawn Butler as shadow minister for women and equalities.”

“Dawn is a great champion for women, equality for all and our country’s diverse communities. I look forward to working closely with her to advance our agenda of a truly equal society that works for the many not the few.”

In her work during the election campaign, where she frequently introduced Corbyn at rallies, she came up with the joke popular with activists “let’s make June the end of May”.

The newly promoted front bencher was an MP during the Blair and Brown governments, losing her seat in 2010. She returned to the commons in 2015.

She left the frontbench in February to vote against article 50, but returned to it after the election. 

Butler is expected to continue her shadow ministerial role for diverse communities, HuffPost report.

Champion resigned the role in the aftermath of controversy about an article she wrote in The Sun. In the comment piece, the Rotherham MP referred to a group of “predominantly Pakistani men”, and wrote “These people are predators and the common denominator is their ethnic heritage.”

LabourList readers narrowly disagreed with her decision to leave the frontbench.