Jeremy Corbyn reshuffles his shadow cabinet

Jeremy Corbyn - Image credit: Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn has carried out a dramatic reshuffle of his shadow cabinet following his re-election as party leader.

Diane Abbott becomes shadow home secretary, while human rights lawyer and ex-Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti – recently made a Labour peer by Corbyn – has been confirmed as shadow attorney general.

Pro-Trident Clive Lewis was moved from defence to business and replaced by anti-Trident Nia Griffiths.

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Corbyn had earlier sacked chief whip Rosie Winterton and replaced her with long-term Gordon Brown ally Nick Brown

In other changes, Sarah Champion is the new shadow minister for women and equalities, while Jo Stevens becomes shadow Welsh secretary.

MP for Blaydon David Anderson remains shadow secretary of state for Scotland.

Corbyn has stated that her is proud to have appointed a diverse cabinet, tweeting “we've appointed the most diverse Shadow Cabinet ever” and “proud two of the three ‘great offices of state’ are, for the first-time ever, filled by women”.

It was the appointment of Abbott to the key role shadowing Amber Rudd at the Home Office which caused the biggest shock.

She said: "I am honoured to serve. My first job when I left university was a graduate trainee at the Home Office so my career has come full circle."

Chakrabarti, who only joined the Labour party in June when she was asked to carry out an independent inquiry into anti-Semitism in the party, said: "It is an enormous privilege to take up the post of Shadow Attorney General in Jeremy Corbyn’s new team.

“I hope to follow in a great tradition of law officers on both sides of the aisle who have defended rights, freedoms and the rule of law."

Corbyn paid tribute to Rosie Winterton’s “six years’ exceptional service as chief whip”, saying she had “played an outstanding role in her support for me as leader and for the Labour party as a whole."

In a statement, Winterton – who was hugely popular with the vast majority of Labour MPs – said: "It has been an honour to have served as Labour’s chief whip for the past six years under three different leaders.

“I would like to thank the whips and the Parliamentary Labour Party for the support they have given me. I wish Nick Brown every success in his new role."

Some of the shadow cabinet roles has been vacant since the mass exodus of the previous shadow cabinet in June following the EU referendum.

However, one Labour MP told Holyrood’s sister website PoliticsHome that the reshuffle proved Corbyn was not serious about trying to unify the party following the leadership contest.

"This is not a reshuffle for peace, this isn't even a reshuffle for an armistice - this is a provocation," they said.