Pat Glass has been announced as Labour’s shadow education secretary, after Lucy Powell resigned from Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.
Ms Glass, MP for North West Durham, has been shadow minister for Europe and a shadow junior education minister.
But her appointment has come during a wave of resignations by Labour MPs seeking a change in leadership.
Ms Powell, in stepping down, said that Mr Corbyn’s position has become “untenable” as Labour party leader.
Ms Glass has had a background in education, serving as a member of the education select committee during the coalition government between 2010 and 2015.
Before entering Parliament she worked with local education authorities on improving their education services.
She now enters a shadow cabinet facing calls for a leadership election, with her predecessor Ms Powell joining calls for another leader.
Ms Powell said Mr Corbyn had shown himself to be “decent, principled and kind” but that his position as head of the party had become “untenable” and that she did not have confidence that he could provide an effective opposition.
In her resignation letter Ms Powell highlighted that during her time as shadow education secretary the government had been forced to abandon plans to make it compulsory for all schools to become academies.
