Jeremy Corbyn completes Labour reshuffle

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has given deputy Tom Watson the role of shadow culture secretary

Jeremy Corbyn has completed a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet, giving deputy Tom Watson the culture brief and bringing back several MPs who quit in protest at his leadership this summer.

Jon Ashworth becomes shadow health secretary, John Healey returns to housing while there are promotions for Teresa Pearce and Ian Lavery.

Mr Ashworth has been replaced on the ruling NEC by Kate Osamor.

One ally said it was a unifying reshuffle amid criticism from some MPs.

Mr Watson said his new role would allow him to develop Labour's policy on "introducing the arts pupil premium to every child of primary school age."

He added: "There should be no class ceiling placed on anyone who wants to contribute to or enjoy our artistic, musical and sporting heritage.

"I also want our globally successful games industry to be given the recognition it deserves."

Dawn Butler, the new shadow minister for diverse communities, told the BBC the Labour leader had shown "great guts" and by bringing in "formidable" Nick Brown as chief whip showed he was "not scared" of promoting someone who was not one of his natural supporters.

Dawn Butler is the new shadow minister for black and minority ethnic communities

Mr Corbyn has filled a number of jobs that were left empty after a mass walkout from his front bench this summer, although he has not been able to appoint a shadow Scottish secretary - with shadow Northern Ireland secretary David Anderson continuing to hold the role.

After being appointed shadow health secretary, Mr Ashworth said: "I'm doing this because I think the Labour Party needs to run a very strong campaign against what the Tories are doing to our National Health Service."

Labour reshuffle: Diane Abbott made shadow home secretary

Mr Ashworth has been replaced on Labour's ruling National Executive Committee by shadow international development secretary Kate Osamor.

He takes over from Diane Abbott, who has been promoted to shadow home secretary, while former Liberty director Baroness Chakrabarti becomes shadow attorney general.

Former director of public prosecutions Sir Keir Starmer, who left the frontbench team in June, returns as shadow Brexit secretary.

Mr Corbyn, who was hit by a wave of front bench resignations and a no-confidence vote from the majority of his own MPs in the wake of the EU referendum result, was re-elected with an increased mandate from the wider party membership last month.

Some roles had remained unfilled in the interim.

The appointments of Diane Abbott, Shami Chakrabarti, Nick Brown and Keir Starmer were announced on Thursday

The decision to sack Dame Rosie Winterton - who was brought in to replace Nick Brown as Labour chief whip in 2010 - was met with a rush of tributes to her by senior figures including former leader Ed Miliband and former deputy leader Harriet Harman.

Neil Coyle MP tweeted: "There were plenty of spaces to fill in shadow cabinet if Nick Brown wanted one. Sacking unifying chief whip shows 'reaching out' meant nothing." His colleague Tom Blenkinsop accused Mr Corbyn of "seeking submission not unity".

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said many Labour MPs had expressed disappointment that she had gone. Dame Rosie was seen as someone, behind the scenes, who stood up for MPs' interests against the party leader, he added.

Jeremy Corbyn's new shadow cabinet appointments

• Shadow home secretary - Diane Abbott

• Shadow attorney general - Baroness Chakrabarti

• Shadow Brexit secretary - Sir Keir Starmer

• Chief whip - Nick Brown

• Shadow health secretary - Jon Ashworth

• Shadow business secretary - Clive Lewis

• Shadow Welsh secretary - Jo Stevens

• Shadow defence secretary - Nia Griffith

• Shadow culture secretary - Tom Watson

• Shadow women and equalities minister - Sarah Champion

• Shadow diverse communities minister - Dawn Butler

Labour's new shadow cabinet in full

But Ms Butler, who supported Andy Burnham's Labour leadership bid in 2015, against Mr Corbyn, said she believed Mr Corbyn's reshuffle was an attempt at unifying the party.

"Jeremy has shown that he is a leader," she said and was "making sure we have a full shadow cabinet to take on the government on Monday".

She said Nick Brown's return, having served under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, showed "that Jeremy isn't scared of putting someone in a position who doesn't really support him but will do an excellent job as a chief whip".

"I think that shows great guts," she told the BBC.

Dame Rosie Winterton wished her successor "every success" in his new role

Mr Brown was chief whip between 2008 and 2010 under Gordon Brown's premiership - during which time, BBC analysis shows that Mr Corbyn rebelled 100 times, voted with the government 511 times and was absent 254 times.

Jo Stevens, who has been brought in as the new shadow Welsh secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she agreed with Ms Butler that Mr Corbyn had reached out to unify the party.

"I was one of the senior people in Owen Smith's leadership campaign and he's offered me a place on the shadow cabinet," she said.

"The Labour Party is a collective and we're there to hold the government to account," she added. "That's why I stayed in my post in the summer and accepted the job."

Ms Stevens said there would be opportunities on "plenty of issues" to unite the party against the Conservatives.

'Sadly unsurprised'

But the decision to promote Baroness Chakrabarti, who became a Labour peer shortly after holding an inquiry into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and concluding that it was "not overrun" by racism, was met with some criticism from Jewish groups.

Board of Deputies Vice President Marie van der Zyl said: "We are disappointed, but sadly unsurprised, that once again Shami Chakrabarti and Jeremy Corbyn have spectacularly undermined her so-called 'independent' report. We hoped her report would be a potent weapon in the fight against anti-Semitism. It now looks increasingly like the whitewash was a job application."

Ms Butler was later asked on BBC Radio 5 live whether her diverse communities brief included the Jewish community.

She said: "Yes, I hope so," adding: "As you know, it's a new brief, so we are still kind of looking at what it will include in its entirety."

Later she said she would be talking to the Jewish community about their concerns about anti-Semitism in the party.

Sir Keir Starmer stood down from his shadow home office minister post in June. He will now join shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner, new shadow economic secretary Jonathan Reynolds and shadow chancellor John McDonnell on Labour's "shadow Brexit team".

Sarah Champion has been made shadow women and equalities minister.