Hilary Benn is appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Hilary Benn has been announced as the new Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in a reshuffle of the Labour Party’s shadow cabinet.

Benn has been a Member of Parliament for Leeds Central since 1999. He has experience serving in cabinet under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Most recently, he was Chairman of the Brexit Select Committee.

The former Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Kyle, has been appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. He had been NI Secretary since November 2021.

The changes seen in the reshuffle of the shadow cabinet mirror the changes that were made to government departments by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this year.

Leader of the SDLP, Colum Eastwood, congratulated Hilary Benn on his appointment earlier today.

The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Doug Beattie, said: “I am sure that the appointment of an individual with such an extensive political career is an indication of the importance the Labour Party leader places on Northern Ireland”

“I would also like to thank Peter Kyle for his engagement during his time in this role; I always found him to be passionate about the issues we championed.

“I look forward to meeting with the new Shadow Secretary of State in the near future to share our strong and serious concerns on a range of issues.”

Benn has said that he “looks forward to listening to all parties in seeking peace, prosperity and progress for the people of Northern Ireland”.