Six junior shadow ministers appointed as Corbyn completes reshuffle

Kevan Jones, Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty quit, citing policy differences with the Labour leader.

Hilary Benn survived the reshiffle, but Pat McFadden, the shadow Europe minister, and Michael Dugher, the shadow culture secretary, were fired for “disloyalty” to thier leader.

Shadow culture secretary Michael Dugher was also dismissed from Corbyn’s shadow cabinet on Tuesday.

Perhaps the most significant change was the removal of Maria Eagle, a supporter of the UK’s nuclear weapons program, Trident, as shadow Defence Minister – replaced by Emily Thornberry, a critic of Trident.

In what was seen as a compromise with Labour’s more moderate members, however, the party’s shadow foreign minister Hilary Benn, who had been tipped to be ousted after openly opposing Corbyn past year over military action in Syria, kept his job.

“But I recognised the mandate Jeremy had been given by the party and I also have areas where I wholeheartedly agree with him… on tax credits, climate change and many other issues [such as] fighting the trade union bill”.

But left-winger Paul Flynn said both were “under-performers”.

But Mr Doughty insists that Mr Corbyn and his team will continue to enjoy his full support from the back-benches in taking on this “uncaring and brutal Tory government”. “I’m going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before, which is speaking for Labour on foreign policy, supporting Jeremy Corbyn and campaigning really hard to get Labour elected at the next general election”.

Mr McFadden said he had been given the boot “in particular because of questions I asked about terrorism and national security in the Commons statement following the Paris terrorist attacks”.

Mr Jones – who was a member of the defence team – said the appointment of Ms Thornberry was “a mistake” though his claim that the view was shared by Tom Watson was denied by the deputy leader.

He said there had been “nothing straightforward or honest” in the conduct of the reshuffle and claimed Labour was being run in a “very top-down” manner. More specifically, he is unifying the party’s foreign policy and solidifying what many regard as an anti-West, anticapitalist stance. Just over a year ago she was sacked by Ed Miliband for her notorious “white van man” tweet during the Rochester and Strood by-election.

Jeremy Corbyn has compared his reshuffle to playing three chess games at once – as he revealed he eventually signed it off by text. “In my line of work you don’t get nice texts”. A source said the scheme referred to by the Labour leader was one of a number put forward and it was turned down in favour of another proposal, which is now being implemented.

He indicated that the leadership was not aware of any further imminent resignations, and the empty posts would be filled “as soon as possible”. “They are all former special advisers”, she said.

Mr Livingstone said that he hoped Labour would have a settled position before then, although he admitted the review may not conclude until the summer.

Describing the decisions as a “mistake”, Mr Corbyn then told the PM about a couple in York whose home was flooded, causing some Tory MPs to laugh.