SHADOW PENSIONS MINISTER ANNOUNCED

12 October 2010

Professional Pensions reports that the Labour Party has named Douglas Alexander as shadow secretary of state for work and pensions.

Alexander was secretary of state for international development until May, this year and was also general election co-ordinator for former prime minister Gordon Brown.

His shadow ministerial team will include former pensions minister Stephen Timms, as well as Karen Buck, Margaret Curran and Rachel Reeves.

According to a posting on Reeves' website - which was taken down after just minutes on the site - the MP for Leeds West will take up the junior shadow minister for pensions role in Ed Miliband's new ranks.

Before the comments were taken off the website, Reeves, a former economist at the Bank of England, said: "It is a privilege to have been given a junior shadow ministerial role in Ed's team. The massive changes to the system being introduced by the DWP must be implemented fairly - and I am determined to provide responsible opposition for this."