Anneliese Dodds has been named by new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as shadow chancellor, less than three years after she was elected to parliament.

Her leadership rival Lisa Nandy has been named shadow foreign secretary, former barrister Nick Thomas-Symonds has been named shadow home secretary and Jon Ashworth has retained the shadow health position.

In a statement at the weekend, Sir Starmer said: “We are living through a national emergency. Under my leadership, the Labour Party will always act in the country’s interest to save lives and protect livelihoods. That will be the number one priority of my Shadow Cabinet.

“We will be a responsible opposition that supports the government where we believe they are right and challenge them when we believe mistakes are being made.”

Described as a “relative unknown” outside Westminster, Ms Dodds now has one of the most senior roles in UK politics and will face off against the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, at a time of huge economic turbulence.

“Even within the House of Commons she is not a high-profile figure, having been first elected less than three years ago. However, the 42-year-old former academic is a popular figure among Labour MPs from all sides of the party, with a formidable grasp of policy detail,” reports the Financial Times.

Born in Aberdeen, Ms Dodds studied PPE at Oxford before taking an MA in social policy at Edinburgh University and a PhD in government at the London School of Economics.

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