It was a reshuffle already mired in confusion and controversy – with even Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy left in the dark.
Now the Labour leader has been accused of heading up a ‘hardcore’ Remain frontbench team after promoting prominent pro-Europeans.
One of his new top team even called on the country to ‘stop this madness’ and branded Brexit a ‘nightmare’ following the vote in 2016.
Sir Keir named David Lammy Shadow Foreign Secretary on Monday. However, he requested that Parliament overturn the result.
Labour leader Sir Keir Sterner (pictured with Angela Rayner, his deputy) is accused of leading a hardcore Remain frontbench following the promotion of prominent pro-Europeans
Sources claim that Ms Rayner, pictured here with Sir KeirStarmer, discovered about the shakeup less than an hour before she was scheduled to give a speech regarding Westminster sleaze.
Yvette Cooper, the new Shadow Home Secretary, was a prominent Remain supporter – even though her Pontefract constituency voted Leave.
Bridget Phillipson, who gets the shadow education job, was one of the first Labour MPs to call for a ‘People’s Vote’ on the Brexit deal.
This idea was also supported by Wes Streeting who has been elevated to the position of health spokesperson.
Rachel Reeves, who stayed in her role as Shadow Chancellor, backed Remain but her constituency – Leeds West – voted Leave.
Sir Keir, who was shadow Brexit secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, has claimed Labour will ‘make Brexit work’.
But he’s known as an ardent Remainer, who helped to push his Eurosceptic ex-leader into agreeing to a second referendum.
A Tory source said: ‘With this hardcore Remain Shadow Cabinet, it would be no surprise to see Labour calling for a second referendum again.
‘It seems the only one of his ten leadership pledges Starmer will actually keep to is campaigning for free movement with the EU.’
Lisa Nandy, who will shadow Gove in his levelling up department, denied Labour is moving to the Right of the political spectrum – saying it was instead targeting the North of the country
Just two days after the Brexit vote, Mr Lammy tweeted: ‘Wake up. This is not necessary. This madness can be stopped and the nightmare put to rest by a vote in parliament.
‘The referendum was an advisory, non-binding referendum. The Leave campaign’s platform has already unravelled and some people wish they hadn’t voted Leave.
‘Parliament needs to decide whether we should go forward with Brexit, and there should be a vote in Parliament next week. Let us not destroy our economy on the basis of the lies and hubris of Boris Johnson.’
He was also one among many Labour MPs to vote against Article 50.
In July 2018, Mr Streeting said of then-prime minister Theresa May: ‘Her only way out is to take the decision to the British public and back a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.’
Yesterday Lisa Nandy, who will shadow Michael Gove in his levelling up department, denied Labour is moving to the Right of the political spectrum – saying it was instead targeting the North of the country.
Miss Nandy told Sky News: ‘We’re moving North. That debate can be continued, left or right.
‘We’re going out into the country and we’re going to start delivering for people in towns, villages and cities that have been completely and utterly abandoned by the political system.
‘You go to Grimsby, you go to Barnsley, you go to Aberdeen, you will find proud communities that have a contribution to make.
‘But so often they are held back, not by the skills of their young people, not by the abilities in those communities, not by their own ambition, but by a national Government that isn’t investing in the infrastructure that would bring good jobs.’
Yesterday, Sir Keir held the first meeting of his new Shadow Cabinet – with deputy leader Angela Rayner looking distinctly unimpressed.
Mrs Rayner admitted after a speech on Monday that she had not been aware of ‘the timing of’ his reshuffle.