Hamed Chapman
Labour Muslim Members of Parliament have continued to lose out in Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet reshuffle of 33 members that has been billed as building on changes “focused on the priorities of the country”
“We are a smaller, more focused Shadow Cabinet that mirrors the shape of the Government we are shadowing. We must hold the Conservative Government to account on behalf of the public and demonstrate that we are the right choice to form the next Government,” Starmer insisted.
“We will relentlessly hold this Conservative Government to account for their failure to get a grip of the challenges we face, and will put forward our positive and exciting ideas for our country,” he said.
The only concession for Muslims MP is that Minister for Mental Health, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, will yet again be allowed to attend Shadow Cabinet meetings along with Shabana Mahmood in her post as one of two National Campaign Coordinators.
However, controversy was also provoked in a tussle over advisers as it emerged Allin-Khan as well as Preet Gill, Shadow International Development Secretary, the two Asian women in the new Shadow Cabinet will no longer have their own personal aides but would have to fundraise independently for their advisers.
Altogether no less than over 160 positions (including the appointment of peers) were announced in the shadow government with posts given to Naz Shah in the Home Office, Imran Hussain at Future of Work, Afzal Khan in Justice, Tulip Siddiq at the Treasury and Lord Wajid Khan in Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The main criticism levelled at Starmer is that he is no longer allowing Labour to be a broad church he has continued to wield his axe at excluding not only Jeremy Corbyn but his supporters mainly from the left wing while promoting those classed more as Blairites from the right-wing of the party.
