Emma Reynolds has today been appointed shadow communities secretary following a Labour frontbench reshuffule made in the wake of the party's disastrous general election result.

Ms Reynolds, who entered parliament as MP for Wolverhampton North East in 2010, had served as shadow housing minister from October 2013 after replacing Jack Dromey in the role.

Her predecessor as shadow communities secretary, Hilary Benn, has replaced Douglas Alexander, who lost his seat to the SNP landslide last week, as shadow foreign secretary.

Chris Leslie, the founder of influential think-tank the New Local Government Network, has been selected as shadow chancellor, following the failure of Ed Balls to hold onto his seat in Morley and Outwood – one of the most dramatic scalps on election night.