Peter Hain resigns from Labour shadow cabinet

SENIOR Labour politician and former cabinet minister Peter Hain has resigned as shadow Welsh secretary.

The former Wales and Northern Ireland Secretary said that he wanted to “explore other challenges” after 16 years on the Labour frontbench - including the Severn barrage renewable energy project and Africa.

Mr Hain, in a letter to Labour leader Ed Miliband, said he intended to stay on as an MP and would fight his constituency seat of Neath again at the next general election.

However, he said that Labour’s “thumping victory” at local elections in Wales over which he presided this month provided a suitable moment to step aside.

His move - which he said he alerted Mr Miliband to before Christmas - will add to speculation that the Labour leader is poised to make a wider reshuffle of his frontbench team.

Mr Hain said: “We got our best results for a long, long time so I thought this was the right time to do it.

“He [Mr Miliband] was disappointed but Ed is now well into his stride. He’s gaining support, his stock is rising in the public mind, people have got to know him better.”