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Roundup: Britain's Labor Party leader assembles front-bench team

Xinhua, October 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's main opposition Labor Party, made more appointments Friday to his front bench team ahead of the Parliament's resumption of business on Monday.

A number of Labor MPs handed jobs by Corbyn were among the 64 who resigned in June following a massive fall-out between the leader and his parliamentary group.

The walk-outs came after 172 Labor MPs backed a vote of no confidence in Corbyn as leader of the party.

But after the 67-years-old leader kept his job in a second landslide leadership win within a year, Corbyn pleaded for unity.

At the party's annual conference in Liverpool last month he held out an olive branch to his estranged MPs.

Corbyn described his new shadow cabinet as having the largest number of black and minority ethnic (BAME) members of a front bench team in British political history.

Two of what are called the "great offices of state" are being shadowed for the first time by female MPs.

Emily Thornberry was already the Shadow Foreign Secretary, now joined by MP Diane Abbott who Corbyn has appointed as Shadow Home Secretary, Labor's main minister on domestic and interior affairs.

Corbyn's close ally, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John Mc Donnell kept his key job.

A spokesperson for his team said Friday night: "Jeremy has made new appointments to the shadow cabinet ahead of parliament's return on Monday to ensure Labour leads a strong and effective opposition. Shadow cabinet elections will be considered by Labour's national executive committee as part of a wider party democratisation at a special meeting next month."

At least five of his new team were among those who quit in June. A number of former shadow ministers have refused to serve under him. These include Welsh MP Owen Smith who challenged Corbyn in last month's leadership election.

Tom Watson, the party's deputy leader, was Friday appointed by Corbyn as Shadow Culture Secretary.

The traditional Labour supporting tabloid, the Daily Mirror commented Friday night: "Jeremy Corbyn has flexed his muscle over Labour by promoting allies and bringing rebels in from the fold in a major shadow cabinet reshuffle."

But in a sign that full unity has not been restored to the Labour camp a number of MPs reacted angrily to Corbyn firing the respected Labour Chief Whip, the MP Rosie Winterton. Endit