Diane Abbott and Seema Malhotra in Corbyn’s Cabinet

Congratulations to Diane Abbott MP and Seema Malhotra MP, both appointed to Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.

Abbott has been given the role of Shadow Minister for International Development, and Malhotra , Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Both were recently been under the spotlight at hustings organised by OBV. Abbott took part in the Labour London Mayor candidates’ hustings in July in Brixton whilst Malhotra was a very impressive deputy for Yvette Cooper at the Labour Leadership hustings held in Canary Wharf a week later.

Both deserve the recognition given by Corbyn and their appointments go some way to answering those who say the Shadow Cabinet is too full of middle class white males.

At both hustings, the issues raised focussed on black youth unemployment, Stop and Search and the criminal justice system, education and housing – areas in which there is still disgraceful racial inequality and injustice. For the Mayoral debate Abbott was joined by Sadiq Khan, whose victory was announced on Friday, David Lammy, Tessa Jowell and Christian Wolmar, while Jeremy Corbyn, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall took part in the Canary Wharf hustings.

These Labour politicians have two important virtues in common, which shone through at the hustings. The first is that they are conviction politicians, genuinely wanting a fairer society and understanding the need to end racial inequality. The second was the cordiality and willingness to listen to other points of view. This is important because most of the media commentators are almost willingly predicting divisions and revolt within the Labour Party.

However, from the attitudes and behaviour displayed at the OBV hustings, it is clear that there is now a cohort at the top of the Labour Party who want to go forward in a collegiate and consensual way. Corbyn got a huge majority because of his radical policies and convictions. He will rightly push these, while at the same time, more pragmatic and experienced colleagues will balance them with their views of what is most likely to be acceptable for a wider constituency than the young and enthused new Labour supporters who voted in their many thousands for Corbyn.

He has been wise in selecting a shadow cabinet that contains people of a conciliatory nature covering all areas within the large tent that is the Labour Party. Diane Abbott and Seema Malhotra will play important roles in ensuring that consent and compromise are the key qualities of the new Labour leadership.

Paul Hensby