Jeremy Corbyn names Shadow Cabinet

New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will today finalise his Shadow Cabinet after his landslide victory in the party’s leadership contest.

Corbyn, who took 59.5 per cent of the votes cast has given Andy Burnham, who finished second behind him in the leadership contest, the Shadow Home Secretary job, while fellow left winger John McDonnell is the new Shadow Chancellor.

Hilary Benn remains Shadow Foreign Secretary and Iain Murray keeps his place as Shadow Scotland Secretary.

Heidi Alexander replaces Mr Burnham, while Blairite peer Lord Falconer remains as Shadow Justice Secretary.

Angela Eagle, who had been tipped as a possible Shadow Chancellor, was announced as Shadow Business Secretary and later Labour added that she would be Shadow First Secretary of State and deputise for Mr Corbyn at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Hackney MP Diane Abbott, one of Mr Corbyn’s staunchest supporters during the election campaign, is the new Shadow International Development Secretary.

Vernon Coaker moves from defence to be Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary.

The announcements have met with severe criticism, with McDonnell’s appointment in particular under fire because of his historical stances on Israel and the IRA. Party strategist John McTernan tweeted the appointment was “unbelievable”.

Speaking in a radio interview this morning Hilary Benn said:  “I welcome everybody who is serving in Jeremy Corbyn’s Cabinet because Jeremy won a thumping victory, we have a responsibility to rally round. But I’d make another point – and this is important – Jeremy has appointed people to his Shadow Cabinet who he knows have different views to him on some issues of policy, and that is about a different type of politics."

There has also been criticism from within the party that none of the top jobs have gone to women, but the Corbyn camp say the Shadow Cabinet will be majority female once filled.

A number of leading Labour figures ruled out serving in Mr Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet, including Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall, Chuka Umunna, Rachel Reeves, Emma Reynolds, Dan Jarvis, Chris Leslie, Mary Creagh, and Tristram Hunt.