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  1. Politics
13 May 2012

Miliband ally Peter Hain heading for the exit?

"His departure will open up the way for new blood in the shadow cabinet."

By Jon Bernstein

The Sunday Telegraph‘s Patrick Hennessy has some interesting quotes on the immediate future of shadow Welsh secretary Peter Hain. Labour sources tell Hennessy:

Peter wants to leave the front bench on a high. We did very well in local elections in Wales this month and he can take a large part of the credit for that.

He is one of the biggest fans of Ed [Miliband] and what he is trying to do, but his departure will open up the way for new blood in the shadow cabinet.

Hain, 62, is one of Miliband’s closest advisors, backed him for the leadership in 2010, and has been intimately involved in the party’s policy review. 

If Hain does leave, will Miliband use the opportunity to overhaul his shadow team or simply swap Hain for another Welsh-based MP such as Chris Bryant or Owen Smith? Just how much “new blood” is Miliband willing to risk?

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