Shadow boxers gear up for the big fight

LABOUR'S new shadow cabinet met for the first time yesterday as the recently elected leader Ed Miliband prepared to face Prime Minister David Cameron for the first time over the dispatch box.

• The shadow cabinet meets in the Commons for the first time yesterday to discuss their strategy to take on the coalition Picture: Getty

Ahead of Prime Minister's Questions today Mr Miliband met his frontbench team in the Commons to start laying out the policies to take on the coalition government over the next four years.

The parliamentary party has recently completed the election of 19 of the new shadow cabinet who joined Mr Miliband and deputy leader Harriet Harman.

It also has three Scottish MPs including Jim Murphy with the defence portfolio and Douglas Alexander with the crucial work and pensions brief.

Both men landed top jobs despite running the rival leadership campaign for Mr Miliband's older brother David who decided not to run in the shadow cabinet elections following his defeat.

The third Scottish MP is Ann McKechin who will now shadow Scottish Secretary Michael Moore.

Amongst the other appointments are Ed Balls, another leadership rival, as shadow home secretary, even though he had made it clear he wanted the treasury portfolio.

Instead the shadow chancellor job has gone to the veteran frontbencher Alan Johnson.

The Shadow Cabinet

Ed Miliband- Leader

Alan Johnson- Shadow chancellor

Yvette Cooper- Shadow foreign secretary

Douglas Alexander- Work and pensions

Ed Balls- Shadow foreign secretary

Mary Creagh- Environment, food and rural affairs

John Healey- Shadow health secretary

Sadiq Khan- Justice

Angela Eagle- Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Ann McKechin- Shadow Scottish secretary

Rosie Winterton- Chief whip

Meg Hillier- Energy and climate change

Andy Burnham- Shadow education

Tessa Jowell- Olympics

John Denham- Shadow business, innovation and skills

Jim Murphy- Shadow defence secretary

Peter Hain- Shadow Welsh secretary

Liam Byrne- Cabinet Office

Caroline Flint- Communities and local government

Shaun Woodward- Northern Ireland

Harriet Harman- Deputy Leader and International Development

Hilary Benn- Shadow leader of the Commons

Tony Lloyd- Chairman of Parliamentary Labour Party

Maria Eagle- Transport

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon- Shadow leader of the Lords