Jeremy Corbyn has begun another reshuffle of his frontbench team, triggered by the decision of 52 Labour MPs to defy the Labour leader and vote against Brexit.
Rebecca Long-Bailey replaces Clive Lewis as shadow business secretary with Peter Dowd moving to fill Long-Bailey’s position as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury.
Sue Hayman replaces Rachael Maskell as shadow environment secretary and Christina Rees replaces Jo Stevens as shadow Welsh secretary.
Corbyn said: “I’m pleased to announce appointments to Labour’s Shadow Cabinet. We have a wealth of talent in our party and the strength of our shadow team will develop Labour’s alternative plan to rebuild and transform Britain, so that no one and no community is left behind.”
Long-Bailey has recently emerged as a potential successor to Corbyn.
Corbyn still has to fill several junior positions vacated by MPs who broke his three-line whip ordering them to vote for the triggering of Article 50.
Lewis, an ally of Corbyn who is also tipped as a future leadership candidate, quit the shadow cabinet on Wednesday evening.
In his resignation letter, Lewis said: “When I became the MP for Norwich South I promised my constituents I would be ‘Norwich’s voice in Westminster, not Westminster’s voice in Norwich.’
“I therefore cannot, in all good conscience, vote for something I believe ultimately goes against the wishes and interests of the constituency I have the honour to represent, love and call home. “
This morning the Corbyn said it was not a “disaster” to lose Lewis and dismissed reports he was planning to quit as leader as “fake news”.