Adonis back in Miliband reshuffle

Ed MILIBAND made changes to his top team yesterday by bringing in Owen Smith to replace Peter Hain as shadow Welsh secretary.

Left-winger Jon Cruddas has been appointed to lead the party’s policy review – a job previously held by shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne.

But Mr Byrne gets to hang on to his main role despite speculation that Mr Miliband could drop him.

Mr Miliband said: “I am also pleased Andrew Adonis will be working on areas of industrial strategy, bringing his experience of government and fresh thinking to the role.

“I want to thank Liam for his excellent work in kick-starting the ideas that Labour will need to win in 2015, and for working so hard to make sure our agenda is rooted firmly in the issues that matter to hardworking people in Britain.”

Lord Adonis was education adviser and then minister to Tony Blair and then became transport secretary under Gordon Brown.

His appointment yesterday will mean a return to the Labour front-benches after two years.

As transport secretary, Lord Adonis was an advocate of a third runway for Heathrow airport – something which Labour now opposes.