Out Labour MPs Nia Griffith and Nick Brown handed key roles by Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn has handed key roles to out MPs Nia Griffith and Nick Brown as he reshuffles his team.
Jeremy Corbyn is appointing his diverse new shadow cabinet this week, following his successful re-election as party leader.
His new team is gender-balanced with several Black and Minority Ethnic politicians taking key roles for the first time.
He has also handed key roles to two LGB MPs.
MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East Nick Brown, who came out in 1998 after outing threats from the News of the World, replaces Rosie Winterton as the party’s chief whip.
Meanwhile, the MP for Llanelli Nia Griffith has been named as Shadow Defence Secretary, just months after resigning as Shadow Welsh Secretary and calling for Corbyn to stand down.
Ms Griffith casually came out earlier this year when a group of cross-party LGB Parliamentarians joined together for a photo.
She said: “I had always said I would answer questions about my sexuality honestly and I felt that it would have been dishonest not to respond to the notification about the photo,. I was aware obviously that it would be news for some people.”
“I feel that nowadays, it is no big deal for a politician to be out… but I would like to pay a huge tribute to those MPs who showed tremendous courage as the first to come out — people like Chris Smith, the first cabinet minister to be out, and Angela Eagle, the first openly lesbian MP.”
Mr Corbyn also brought back a dedicated Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, handing the role to MP Sarah Champion.
The leader had axed the dedicated cabinet role of Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities earlier this year, when shadow minister Kate Green joined a wave of resignations from his top team.
Struggling to fill the posts, in July he handed responsibility for equalities and LGBT issues to shadow education secretary Angela Rayner.
In a U-turn on the decision yesterday, he restored the brief as Ms Champion took on the brief.
Theresa May currently also has two out cabinet ministers – Education Secretary Justine Greening and Scottish Secretary David Mundell, both of whom came out earlier this year.
The reshuffle is ongoing.
