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Shami Chakrabarti appointed shadow Attorney General by Jeremy Corbyn

The appointment may be considered controversial after some critics branded her anti-Semitism inquiry a 'whitewash'

May Bulman
Thursday 06 October 2016 21:40 BST
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Baroness Chakrabarti has been appointed to the shadow Cabinet a month after being made a life peer by Mr Corbyn
Baroness Chakrabarti has been appointed to the shadow Cabinet a month after being made a life peer by Mr Corbyn (PA)

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Shami Chakrabarti has been appointed to the role of shadow Attorney General in Jeremy Corbyn’s Cabinet.

Baroness Chakrabarti, who led the Liberty campaign group for over a decade, was awarded the role just five months after becoming a member of the Labour Party.

The human rights lawyer was made a peer by Mr Corbyn last month following her inquiry into alleged anti-Semitism in Labour.

Mr Corbyn's decision to appoint Baroness Chakrabati to his shadow Cabinet may be considered controversial as some critics of the Labour leader branded her inquiry a “whitewash”.

The Attorney General is the Government’s chief legal advisor and is drawn from the legislature; their shadow holds them to account and develops alternative policies.

In his shadow Cabinet reshuffle Mr Corbyn also handed a major promotion to his long-time ally Diane Abbott, making her shadow Home Secretary, and made veteran Nick Brown - a long-standing ally of former leader Gordon Brown - chief whip, replacing Rosie Winterton.

Mr Corbyn began the reshuffle of his frontbench team after the mass walk-out of shadow Cabinet members opposed to him in the aftermath of the Brexit vote in June.

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