Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘top’ team: criticisms over lack of women

Mr Corbyn promised that half his shadow cabinet would be women, but several Labour MPs have criticised their new leader for the dominance of men in the shadow positions of the “Great Offices of States:” the shadow chancellor is John McDonnell and the shadow home secretary Andy Burnham, while Hilary Benn is the shadow foreign secretary. With Tom Watson as deputy leader, Mr Corbyn’s senior front bench is dominated by men.

MP Diana Johnson said the male-dominated top team was “very disappointing” while MP Frank Field told Sky News that he thought Angela Eagle, who has become shadow business secretary, should have been given the role of shadow chancellor.

It is so very disappointing – old fashioned male dominated Labour politics in the top positions in Shadow Cabinet #notforgirls

— Diana Johnson (@DianaJohnsonMP) September 13, 2015

When Mr Corbyn was asked by reporters on Sunday evening about his shadow cabinet selection, the Labour leader ignored the questions.

However, on Monday Mr McDonnell dismissed the claims that women were lacking, noting that the shadow health and education roles were vital and prominent positions that had been given to women, Heidi Alexander and Lucy Powell respectively.

He said: “Jeremy said very, very clearly that we don’t accept the hierarchical nature of what we have inherited by these supposed top jobs. They largely stem from the 19th century when you had an empire and all that.

“For most people the real top jobs are the ones that provide the services like health and education, those sorts of things. So he has broken with that tradition and I’m really pleased.”

He added that the shadow cabinet “will be completely gender balanced”.

Yet Mr McDonnell’s appointment has raised eyebrows given that the MP is considered one of Mr Corbyn’s most hardline left-wing allies.

Shadow foreign secretary Mr Benn did not fully endorse the appointment, telling BBC Radio 4: “This is the choice that Jeremy has made. I respect the choice that Jeremy has made as leader.

“We have just come off the back of two bad election defeats for the Labour Party, and our principle task is to win the people’s trust when it comes to the economy.”

The reaction from the business community

The combination of Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell has created a mood of caution from business figures, given their proposed nationalisation programme.

The Institute of Directors Director General Simon Walker said some of the shadow cabinet’s policies would “undermine our open and competitive economy” but added that Mr Corbyn had said that “wealth creation is a good thing”, which they agreed with.

Other City figures said they were more interested in the stance that Labour would now take on the EU referendum that Prime Minister David Cameron said would take place before the end of 2017.

Corbyn’s allies: the Argentinians

As Mr Corbyn attempts to unite the party at home as many MPs retreat from the shadow cabinet to the backbenches, he does have support from an unlikely source abroad: Argentina.

The country’s ambassador to the UK reportedly described the Labour leader as “one of ours”, suggesting that Mr Corbyn could alter British public opinion over the Falkland Islands.

In an interview with the Pagina 12 newspaper, Alicia Castro said she felt “great satisfaction” that Mr Corbyn was now the leader of the opposition, adding, “”His leadership could decisively guide British public opinion towards favouring dialogue between the governments of the UK and Argentina, in keeping with the demands of the international community.”