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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Politics
Matt Dathan

Jeremy Corbyn appoints vegan Kerry McCarthy to deal with Britain's farmers

Kerry McCarthy MP, the new shadow environment secretary (BBC)

Jeremy Corbyn has appointed a vegan to be in charge of Labour's dealings with Britain's farmers as he announced who will serve in his shadow cabinet.

Kerry McCarthy, the new shadow secretary for environment, food and rural affairs, is one of just a handful of vegans among the 650 MPs in the House of Commons.

The Bristol East MP backed Andy Burnham in the party's leadership race, but Mr Corbyn has had to reach out across the party as he set about appointing his frontbench team, with only 20 MPs having actually voted for him in his landslide victory on Saturday.

Ms McCarthy was first elected to the Commons in 2005. She becomes one of 16 women in the shadow cabinet, which for the first time in history is made up of more women than men.

Ms McCarthy became the first MP to set out the case for converting to veganism in Parliament on World Vegan Day four years ago. 

She has also campaigned against the Government's badger cull and fox hunting in her role as vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports.

She caused controversy in 2012 after branding a fellow train passenger a "lager drinking oaf" and suggesting he should "have been killed before he could breed" after being irritated by a man playing loud techno music on a train and wearing a T-shirt bearing an obscene message.

She later admitted the comments about breeding were "obviously flippant" but it was a strange outburst from someone who used to serve as Labour's social media tsar.

Labour Shadow Cabinet: The key figures  

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