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The final Labour party vacancy on the Energy and Climate Change (ECC) select committee is to be filled by anti-Corbyn MP Jamie Reed.
Reed sensationally resigned from his position on the shadow cabinet via Twitter, before party leader Jeremy Corbyn had concluded his victory speech, in defiance of Corbyn’s anti-nuclear stance.
The Cumbrian MP’s constituency is home to the UK’s largest nuclear decommissioning plant at Sellafield which employs thousands of voters. And Reed was quick to hit out at Corbyn for his “poorly informed and fundamentally wrong” opinions on nuclear power in a letter resigning from his post as shadow health minister.
Reed currently serves as vice chair on the all-party parliamentary group on nuclear energy. But he also supports Britain’s Energy Coast which aims to broaden Cumbria’s energy potential beyond nuclear innovation, to renewable-based technologies including district heating systems and infrastructure for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.
Labour’s shadow cabinet reshuffle opened three Labour vacancies on the ECC committee after Alan Whitehead, Ian Lavery and Melanie Onn were promoted to shadow minister roles. Rushanara Ali and Tom Blenkinsop stepped into the committee vacancies without the need for a vote last week, but Labour was initially unable to fill the last slot.
Labour’s Matthew Pennycook remains in the fourth Labour seat on the committee, joining five Conservative MPs, one Liberal Democrat and SNP committee chair Angus MacNeil.
Reed confirmed the appointment via Twitter yesterday evening.
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