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Gavin Shuker MP - a new role with DEFRA

tells us he's just been made a shadow minister.

He's to join the DEFRA team following the resignation of Peter Soulsby and will probably have responsibility for fish.

This is quite an achievement for someone who has only been an MP for 10 months.

It follows his success in the election, which many in the party expected him to lose following the expenses scandal which enveloped his predecessor Margaret Moran.

Sources in the party tell us that Labour leader Ed Miliband was impressed with the way he fought the campaign, with his constant championing of Luton and the fact that (as only one of two Labour MPs in the region) he's taken it upon himself to lead the Labour revival in the East.

He's most recently been PPS to Shadow Justice Minister Sadiq Khan and he's a member of the Transport Select Committee.

Some new MPs like to keep a low profile during their first year at Westminster. Not so Mr Shuker.

He admits to knowing very little about the world of and particularly fish (which, let's face it, don't feature much in Luton "except perhaps in the shops") but he's promising to get to grips with his new brief very quickly.

We now learn that Gavin Shuker didn't get fish after all. Instead he's to oversee hunting, forests, waterways and the natural environment. I'm not sure how much of a natural environment it is for a lad from urban Luton but he's confident he's capable of learning a brief.

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