Richard Burgon is latest Corbyn ally to be sacked as Keir Starmer finalises new Shadow Cabinet
Richard Burgon had been in the Shadow Cabinet since 2016.
2 min read
Richard Burgon has been sacked from the Shadow Cabinet as Keir Starmer puts the finishing touches to his top team.
The left-wing MP, who came third in the Labour deputy leader race, said it had been "an honour" to serve as Shadow Justice Secretary since 2016.
Mr Burgon is the latest ally of Jeremy Corbyn to be axed by Sir Keir, who was elected Labour leader on Saturday.
He has already sacked Barry Gardiner, Ian Lavery and Jon Trickett, who were all high-profile supporters of the previous leader.
Anouncing his departure on Twitter, Leeds East MP Mr Burgon said: "It’s been an honour to serve as Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary since 2016.
"I’ve just had a chat with Keir who let me know I won’t be in his new Shadow Cabinet team. As I've done since joining the Party in the mid-1990s, I'll continue to give my all to get a Labour Gov't."
Meanwhile, Shadow Communities Secretary Andrew Gwynne has resigned from the frontbench.
In a letter to Sir Keir on Saturday, in the wake of his victory, he said he had been left "tired and bruised" by last year's general election, in which he was Labour's national campaign co-ordinator.
The Denton and Reddish MP said: "My role of NCC was almost completely sidelined by the time of the election - that cannot be allowed to ever happen again."
Sir Keir unveiled the first of his Shadow Cabinet appointments on Sunday night, with Anneliese Dodds landing the plum role of Shadow Chancellor.
New deputy leader Angela Rayner replaces Mr Lavery as party chair, with Lisa Nandy - who Sir Keir defeated in the leadership race - taking over from Emily Thornberry as Shadow Foreign Secretary.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, manwhile, replaces Diane Abbott as Shadow Home Secretary.
Rachel Reeves becomes Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, while Jon Ashworth remains Shadow Health Secretary, and Nick Brown stays on as Chief Whip.
Sir Keir, who is expected to complete his Shadow Cabinet on Monday afternoon, said: "Under my leadership, the Labour Party will always act in the country’s interest to save lives and protect livelihoods. That will be the number one priority of my Shadow Cabinet.
"We will be a responsible opposition that supports the Government where we believe they are right and challenge them when we believe mistakes are being made."
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