Diane Abbott appointed shadow health secretary in Corbyn’s cabinet reshuffle

New appointment: Diane Abbott MP

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, has been appointed shadow health secretary in a “re-shaping” of his cabinet by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Ms Abbott’s new role comes hot on the heels of a string of resignations from the shadow cabinet over the weekend and today in the wake of the EU referendum result.

Recriminations against the Labour leader have continued, as documents passed to the BBC suggest Jeremy Corbyn’s office sought to weaken the Labour party’s Remain campaign, through acts of “deliberate sabotage”.

According to the BBC, one email from the leader’s office suggests that Mr Corbyn’s director of strategy and communications, Seumas Milne, was behind Mr Corbyn’s reluctance to take a prominent role in Labour’s campaign to keep the UK in the EU.

Business secretary and shadow first secretary of state Angela Eagle has joined the list of resignations from the Labour front bench.

She said the party needs a leader “who can unite rather than divide”, and “can convince the country that we understand their concerns and aspirations”.

So far there have been 19 shadow cabinet departures – 16 resignations, one sacking (Hilary Benn), two informal departures (Baroness Smith and Lord Bassam have said they will not serve under Jeremy Corbyn).