Lisa Nandy resigns as shadow energy secretary

Lisa Nandy has resigned from her post as shadow energy secretary, adding her name to a long list of departures from Labour’s shadow cabinet.

In a joint statement with the now former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Jones – who also resigned – Nandy said she and other cabinet colleagues had met with Jeremy Corbyn in the hope they could “continue to support the leadership in bringing the Labour party together”.

According to the statement during the course of the meeting “it became clear that this would not be possible”. “It is therefore with huge sadness that we have resigned from the shadow cabinet”, it added.  

The statement said it had also become clear that Corbyn “is unable to form a broad, inclusive shadow cabinet that draws on the best of our movement’s left and right traditions”. Accordingly it called for deputy leader Tom Watson to act as a “caretaker leader” whilst the party holds a leadership contest.

Nandy was first elected to parliament as the member for Wigan in 2010. After serving as shadow minister for education and for the cabinet office, she was appointed as shadow energy secretary last September. It’s not yet clear who her replacement will be.

Earlier today Rachael Maskell was named as the new shadow environment secretary, after her predecessor, Kerry McCarthy, resigned on Sunday. The mass resignations were triggered by the sacking of shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, who reportedly told Corbyn he had lost confidence in him as a leader.