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Yvette Cooper was cheered as the Labour "conference darling" today as Ed Miliband prepared to promote a string of women to his top team.
With pressure growing on the leader to shake up his shadow cabinet, junior shadow ministers Rachel Reeves, Emma Reynolds and Liz Kendall - all new MPs - were tipped to complete a meteoric rise through the Labour ranks.
Leeds West MP Ms Reeves, 32, has impressed in her work and pensions brief while 33-year-old Ms Reynolds has caught the eye in the foreign affairs team and Ms Kendall has shone in her criticism of NHS reforms.
Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy is likely to be promoted from the backbenches after appearing on Newsnight to hail Mr Miliband's speech this week while Rushanara Ali and Gloria de Piero could be given more high-profile roles.
Several senior frontbenchers are under threat as Mr Miliband ponders using new powers to appoint his shadow cabinet rather than them being elected. They include shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis, who sparked a storm by suggesting journalists could be struck off a professional register, energy and climate change spokesman Meg Hillier and shadow Northern Ireland secretary Shaun Woodward.
Shadow home secretary Ms Cooper, meanwhile, confirmed her position as a contender to succeed Mr Miliband, who is suffering low personal poll ratings, with her impressive performances in Liverpool. She wooed delegates for the second day in a row with a passionate speech on inequality, and has refused to rule out a tilt at the top job.
Reader views (3)
Hmmmm - Ed Misandrist is promoting women because they're women. Yeah, that will inspire people to think they can deal with the UK's governance! What about that little, unimportant thing that might possibly be considered.... you know, that thing about individual suitability for the job?
Hey - if they're good enough to do it, fair enough. Promoting them to see if they can do it? That's pure PC - not to mention something that would be censored immediately if I wrote it down.
- Rogan, Irving, 30/09/2011 06:09
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Millipede's rising women = my rising gullet.
- Anglo, The Heart of England, 29/09/2011 19:42
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Promoting all these new MPs is well and good but what experience do they have in doing the job? I expect little or nothing which is why over the past 20 years this country has got into a bigger and bigger mess.
- Joe Remedios, Camberley, UK, 29/09/2011 18:50
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