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“The reshaped Labour party has a lot of learning to do”
Jeremy Corbyn’s rise from left-wing backbencher to mainstream politician and leader of the opposition is now complete.
His coronation by the Labour Party was confirmed on Saturday, and his top team were in place by the end of Monday.
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has been appointed shadow energy secretary after Caroline Flint decided to step down from the role. Nandy has no previous energy experience. The closest she gets is that she joined the “End the Big Six Energy Fix” campaign in 2012.
Former shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle has been promoted to the role of shadow defence secretary. Filling her shoes is Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy. She has served in various shadow ministerial roles, including in the shadow Treasury, but this is her frontbench debut. Her environment and water experience is limited to her personal political interests.
Corbyn is new to frontbench politics himself, so the reshaped Labour party has got a lot of learning to do. The party conference season will give Nandy and McCarthy, as well as the rest of Corbyn’s cabinet, an opportunity to start to understand the important issues in energy and water.
On top of that, it will be their first real test as they are tasked with putting across their new leader’s vision for the energy and water sectors.
After all the talk of renationalisation, all eyes will be on Corbyn, Nandy and McCarthy, to see whether that was just campaign talk, or whether there is some substance behind Corbyn’s “personal wish”.
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