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By Ned Simons - 8th October 2010
Yvette Cooper has topped the shadow cabinet ballot, as many former ministers miss out on a place on Ed Miliband's new front bench.
When in opposition Labour Party MPs vote on who they want to see serve in the shadow cabinet. There were 19 places up for grabs, and Labour's 258 MPs were asked to choose from the 49 who put themselves forward.
Ed Miliband is then able to allocate jobs to those that make it as he sees fit, although he will be under pressure to reward those who do well in the poll.
Under new rules agreed last month at least six women must be part of the shadow cabinet and eight have been successful, but despite this there is no place for the sole female leadership candidate Diane Abbott, who returned to the This Week sofa last night.
Other leadership contenders Ed Balls and Andy Burnham made the list. David Miliband decided not to stand after his brother beat him to the top job, preferring to return to the backbenches.
There are some new faces among the 19, after long serving senior politicians such as Jack Straw, Alistair Darling and Bob Ainsworth decided not to run.
But some former high profile Labour ministers who did throw their hat into the ring have missed out, including former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw, Europe minister Chris Bryant and Welsh secretary Peter Hain.
So in order of how many votes they received, here are the people who will form Labour's new shadow cabinet.
Yvette Cooper - 232 votes
By far the most popular choice in the ballot, the former work and pensions secretary and wife of leadership candidate Ed Balls is sure to get a plum job in the new front bench team – perhaps even snatching the shadow chancellor role so long coveted by her husband.
The Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford MP decided against running for the leadership, declaring that it was not “the right time” for her, despite being urged to by many of her supporters.
Cooper was a high flying journalist and economist before entering Parliament at the age of 28. After a series of ministerial roles, including a turbulent time as housing minister, she became a full member of the cabinet as chief secretary to the Treasury under Gordon Brown in 2008. She was appointed work and pensions secretary in 2009 following the resignation of James Purnell.
John Healey - 192 votes
An impressive second place for the former housing minister, who rose steadily and quietly up the rungs of government beginning his career as PPS to Gordon Brown as chancellor of the exchequer in 1999.
His first ministerial job was at the Department of Education and Skills in 2001, but he stayed there for only a year before returning to Brown's side in the Treasury where he served in various ministerial posts for five years.
Before reaching the cabinet as housing minister in June 2009 he worked with Yvette Cooper at the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Ed Balls - 179 votes
Few, if any, were closer to Gordon Brown during the former prime minister's time in the Treasury and Downing Street. Having run a impressive leadership campaign which saw him come in third place behind the Miliband brothers, the former education secretary is known to be desperate to secure the shadow chancellor role and perhaps the only person standing in his way is his wife, Yvette Cooper.
One of Labour's most combative parliamentarians, Balls has adapted to opposition well, making life extremely difficult for his successor in the education department, Michael Gove.
Andy Burnham - 165 votes
The former health secretary and leadership candidate reportedly turned down an offer from Miliband to become chief whip, perhaps hoping to secure a more prominent public role off the back of his leadership bid.
Burnham said he had his dream job when he was appointed culture secretary in 2008, but could not turn down a promotion to the department of health in the reshuffle of 2009 which followed a raft of ministerial resignations that almost ended Gordon Brown's premiership.
The MP for Leigh in the North West makes no secret of his love for Everton football club, famously infuriating a campaign aide by declaring: "I would rather play for Everton in the Cup Final than be prime minister”.
Angela Eagle - 165 votes
Angela has won another fraternal battle within the Labour Party, beating her twin sister Maria by 59 places in the ballot. Pensions minister in the dying days of the Brown administration, Eagle entered government in 1997 at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. She was exiled by Tony Blair in 2002, but returned under Brown to the Treasury in 2007.
The openly gay MP is the first ever Labour representative for Wallasey and was elected vice-chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party in 2005 and was one of its representatives on the party’s National Executive Committee.
Alan Johnson - 163 votes
During darkest days of Gordon Brown's premiership the then home secretary was constantly talked of as the safe pair of hands that could save Labour from defeat. But having declined to mount a challenge Johnson also decided against running for the leadership after Brown stepped down.
The former postman had been a favourite to succeed John Prescott as deputy leader of the party in 2007, but despite having won the backing of the majority of MPs he narrowly lost out to Harriet Harman who secured the support of more party members.
The experienced Kingston West and Hessle MP is a perhaps good bet to become shadow foreign secretary, having been home secretary, health secretary, work and pensions secretary, education secretary and trade and industry secretary.
Douglas Alexander - 160 votes
A close ally and protégé of Gordon Brown for many years, Alexander was David Miliband's leadership co-campaign manager.
The Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP has held a series of top jobs including transport secretary, Scottish secretary and a variety of ministerial positions under both Tony Blair and Brown. But much of Alexander's influence has been played out behind closed doors.
Until 2001 working mainly behind the scenes, he had been a key campaign strategy manager, part of the small group who advised Tony Blair on the general election. And he served as Brown's election co-ordinator including for the 2007 'election that never was'.
Jim Murphy - 160 votes
Murphy has joked that he was the apparently innumerate "numbers man" behind David Miliband's unsuccessful campaign to become Labour leader, but the East Renfrewshire MP has managed to secure himself a position in the other brother's shadow cabinet.
Voted the House Magazine’s Commons Minister of the Year in 2008 the former Scottish secretary also held ministerial positions in the Foreign Office and the department for work and pensions while Labour was in power.
Tessa Jowell - 152 votes
The super-loyal Blairite served as culture secretary from 2001 until 2007, heading up London’s successful bid for the Olympic Games. Although she was initially dropped from the cabinet under Gordon Brown she returned in 2009 as minister for the Cabinet Office as well as retaining her Olympics brief and her role as paymaster-general.
Jowell endured but survived a potentially career wrecking ordeal in 2009 when her husband was embroiled in scandal after being accused of accepting a bribe from Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Caroline Flint - 139 votes
Caroline Flint quit Gordon Brown's cabinet in June 2009 after failing to secure a cabinet level position. Having held a succession of ministerial jobs including housing minister and finally Europe minister, Flint said the prime minister had treated her as "female window dressing".
From the backbenches in opposition she was at the forefront of the campaign to make the coalition re-think plans to grant anonymity to people accused of rape.
John Denham - 129 votes
Having resigned from Tony Blair's government in protest at the Iraq War, Denham returned to the front bench under Gordon Brown.
He spent his time out of government as chair of the home affairs select committee, but after Brown took the reigns of power he was appointed secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills. He then replaced Hazel Blears as communities secretary following her resignation in June 2009.
Hilary Benn - 128 votes
An early supporter of Ed Miliband for the leadership job, Benn must be hopeful of a good post in the shadow cabinet.
A son and grandson of cabinet ministers, Benn became development secretary in 2003 after the anti-war Claire Short resigned. He served in that post until 2007, when Gordon Brown made him environment secretary.
Benn began the 2006 race to be deputy leader of the Labour Party as a favourite, but he only narrowly managed to secure enough support from his fellow MPs to get onto the ballot. In the end coming a disappointing fourth, behind John Cruddas.
Sadiq Khan - 128 votes
Campaign manager for Ed Miliband's successful bid to become Labour leader, the Tooting MP is likely to be confident of getting one of the bigger jobs in the shadow cabinet.
A transport minister under Gordon Brown, Khan produced one of election night's memorable moments when his supporters greeted his victory with cries of "yes we Khan", imitating Barak Obama's successful campaign slogan.
Mary Creagh - 119 votes
Creagh is a genuine new face for Ed Miliband's team, having never served on the government front bench. The former Labour leader on Islington council was elected as the MP Wakefield MP in 2005 and has spent much of her time in the Commons as PPS to Andy Burnham, she was made an assistant whip in 2009.
She speaks French, Italian and Spanish and spent five years in Brussels working for the Socialist group, as research assistant to Stephen Hughes MEP, and then as press officer for the European Youth Forum.
Ann McKechin - 117 votes
McKechin gained her first ministerial post in 2008 under Gordon Brown, when he appointed her a under-secretary of state at the Scotland Office.
The Glasgow North MP previously served as PPS to Jacqui Smith at the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Education and Skills.
Maria Eagle - 107 votes
The other Eagle in the new shadow cabinet, Maria followed her sister in the Commons after being elected the MP for Garston and Halewood in the 1997 Labour landslide, completing the first set of twins in parliamentary history.
Although she was five years behind her sister in entering Parliament, Maria had an unbroken ministerial career between 1997 2010 holding a variety of positions including stints at the department of work and pensions and the ministry of justice. Her last job in government was deputy minister for women and equality.
Eagle is a leading chess player and played for Lancashire and England as well as representing Lancashire at junior level cricket along with her sister.
Meg Hillier - 106 votes
The Hackney South and Shoreditch MP was appointed PPS to then communities secretary Ruth Kelly within a year of her election in 2005.
As a Home Office minister between 2007 and 2010, Hillier was responsible for piloting the ID cards legislation through Parliament.
The Oxford educated former journalist worked for a variety of publications before her election to the Commons, including a stint as features editor of Housing Today before going freelance in 1998.
Ivan Lewis - 104 votes
The Bury South MP began his government career as parliamentary private secretary to the trade and industry secretary Stephen Byers before getting his first ministerial job in the Department of Education and Skills, with responsibility for young people, in 2001.
He also held positions in the Treasury and the Department of Health and by 2010 was a minister of state in the Foreign Office.
Liam Byrne - 100 votes
Propping up the bottom of the table is Liam Byrne. He held several ministerial posts under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and was quickly promoted, reaching the cabinet as chief secretary to the Treasury in 2009.
The Birmingham, Hodge Hill MP squeaked into Parliament in a by-election in 2004 with a majority of just 460 votes. But at the general election of 2010 he increased it to an impressive 10,302, almost doubling his 5,449 majority won in 2005.
A successful electoral and ministerial career aside, it may take Byrne a while to get past his infamous note left on the desk for his incoming Lib Dem replacement David Laws, in which he joked that "there's no money left". A ready made punch line for whoever he faces over the dispatch box.
The losers
Diane Abbott
Roberta Blackman-Woods
Ben Bradshaw
Kevin Brennan
Chris Bryant
Vernon Coaker
Wayne David
Rob Flello
Mike Gapes
Barry Gardiner
Helen Goodman
Peter Hain
David Hanson
Tom Harris
Huw Irranca-Davies
Kevan Jones
Eric Joyce
Barbara Keeley
David Lammy
Chris Leslie
Ian Lucas
Fiona Mactaggart
Pat McFadden
Alun Michael
Gareth Thomas
Emily Thornberry
Stephen Timms
Stephen Twigg
Shaun Woodward
Iain Wright
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