Sir Keir Starmer’s latest front-bench line-up sends several clear signals about his intentions as party leader.
The first, and most obvious, is that the era of Corbyn is well and truly over. Many of his closest allies are out, including Dawn Butler, Richard Burgon and Ian Lavery. A few remain, for now, in the form of Rebecca Long-Bailey, Cat Smith and Andy McDonald.
READ MORE: Marianne Taylor: A proper adult is in charge of Labour and it’s not a moment too soon
Second to erasing Corbyn is a message of gender equality and diversity. The party itself has made great noises about the fact that more than half (17) of the roles in the new shadow cabinet are taken up by women, while 15 are held by men, and seven members are from a BAME background.
Inviting Ed Miliband back into the fold is also a brave, but clever move. Although he has taken a back seat during the Corbyn era, he is undoubtedly an experienced politician, a familiar face and someone voters can at least recognise, if not trust. Just don’t put him anywhere near a bacon sandwich again and he will do just fine, I’m sure.
Most importantly for us Scots, however, is the reinstatement of Ian Murray, the party’s only remaining MP after it was decimated in the snap general election before Christmas.
The Edinburgh South MP is no wallflower and is sure to hold his own party and his opposition to account. He does not shy away from difficult topics, and will play a key role in how the party, both north and south of the border, crafts its message around constitutional issues.
His appointment as shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, prising the role back from Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd, means almost certainly there will be harsh words exchanged about Labour’s position on a second independence referendum.
READ MORE: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to create ‘balanced’ shadow cabinet
In short, Mr Murray and several of his MSP colleagues have made their views clear - Labour should stand against a second referendum and must have a coherent, unequivocal stance on the matter.
Richard Leonard, the Scottish Labour leader, is more flexible, but his suggestion that the party hold a special conference to discuss its position on IndyRef2 was almost laughed out the door before it had even been discussed. Leaks to the media were taking place during a meeting of the National Executive Committee in January, claiming Mr Leonard was roundly shut down by the other members, and anyone in support of his view was quickly ridiculed too.
An MP for a decade, Mr Murray realises that Labour must regain trust with Scottish voters if it is to make a foothold anywhere else in the country.
Starmer’s statements today appear to reflect this, so we may be seeing much more of the new leader north of the border in the months ahead.
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