Tracy Brabin, Rachael Maskell and Luke Pollard promoted to shadow cabinet

Tracy Brabin, Rachael Maskell and Luke Pollard have all been promoted to shadow cabinet positions by Jeremy Corbyn today following the general election in which senior figures stepped down or lost their seats.

Brabin, who was elected as MP for Batley and Spen after the murder of Jo Cox, has been chosen to replace former deputy leader Tom Watson as Shadow Media, Culture and Sport Secretary. It’s a step up from the frontbench position of shadow early years minister, which she took on in July 2017. Brabin is considered soft left; she has backed Angela Rayner for deputy leader and expressed support for Keir Starmer as leader.

Maskell will take up the role of Shadow Employment Rights Secretary, replacing Laura Pidcock who had been considered a rising star but lost her Durham seat to the Tories in the general election. The anti-Brexit MP for York used to be Shadow Environment Secretary until she resigned over triggering Article 50. She is considered to be on the left of the party and has endorsed Clive Lewis in Labour’s leadership election.

Pollard has been promoted upwards in the same department, from his frontbench position of shadow minister for flooding and coastal communities to Shadow Environment Secretary. He is replacing Sue Hayman, who lost her Workington seat to the Tories last month. Pollard won his Plymouth constituency from the Tories in 2017 and kept hold of it in the general election.

All three are Labour and Co-operative MPs.

Tan Dhesi, meanwhile, has been picked as Jeremy Corbyn’s new parliamentary private secretary. The MP for Slough was first elected in 2017, and impressed many when he challenged Boris Johnson over “racist remarks” at Prime Minister’s Questions in September.