The Labour Party has named a former charity consultant as its shadow civil society minister, filling a vacancy that has been open for three months.
Barbara Keeley MP, who represents Worsley and Eccles South, said charities had a role in creating “a better, more prosperous Britain”. She will cover both civil society and arts policy.
Labour has not had a shadow charities minister since Rachael Maskell stepped down from the role in December.
Keeley has been an MP since 2005. She previously worked as a consultant advising the charity Princess Royal Trust for Carers.
She was vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Carers until 2009, and a shadow minister for mental health and social care until 2016.
She will be part of the shadow ministerial team led by Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary.
Powell said Keeley would bring “a strong track record of working with charity and voluntary sectors” to the job.
Keeley said: “Charities are a valued and vital part of our national life, working to improve communities, offer people opportunities and bring our nation together.”
She praised the voluntary sector, which she said had gone “above and beyond to support the response to Covid-19”.
Keeley said: “Labour wants to see a thriving third sector that works to support our public services helping people whom statutory bodies find hard to reach.
“Civil society are key partners in delivering preventative public services and in creating a better, more prosperous Britain where workers, families and the sector are secure. I look forward to working together to achieve these aims.”
Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, quit as shadow charities minister in December 2021, after voting against her own party to try to block NHS staff from losing their jobs if they refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19.