Caerphilly MP Wayne David has returned to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench team.
In a shock move, Mr David, a previously staunch critic of Mr Corbyn, has accepted the position of Shadow Defence Minister.
Until he resigned in June in protest at Mr Corbyn, Mr David had held the position of Shadow Minister of State for Justice.
He was one of a number of MPs who successfully called for a motion of no confidence in Mr Corbyn.
That triggered a leadership contest between Mr Corbyn and Pontypridd MP Owen Smith.
Mr Corbyn went on to be re-elected leader of the Labour Party.
Mr David had previously said he would not be returning to the shadow cabinet.
Speaking to Caerphilly Observer on why he changed his mind, Mr David said: “Jeremy asked me to serve in the defence role and I said I was prepared to consider it because it is an opportunity to turn our fire collectively on the Conservatives.
“But I said I wanted some assurances. The first, was that I was allowed to support the policy of the party, which is in support of Trident and multilateral disarmament. I said it was important to be unequivocal in our support of NATO and thirdly, to be unambiguous supporting our Armed Forces against cuts in expenditure.”
Asked why he had changed his mind about returning to the frontbench after ruling himself out last month, Mr David said: “I decided that because I felt there was a need for me to do something different.
“The big issue is Brexit and with some experience of Europe over the years, I felt I could contribute something important on that holding the government to account.
“It had nothing to do with Jeremy, but I was asked by him would I come back and join the frontbench and I gave it serious thought.
“Because he’s quite happy for the conditions I set out to be met, I felt it was the right thing to do to support the party.”
Mr David agreed that Mr Corbyn’s invitation to him was a sign he was trying to unite the Labour Party.
He added: I stand by the criticism I made some months ago – honestly made criticism.
“Jeremy knows I don’t say things like that without good cause. I do accept he’s won a second mandate from the party as a whole and I hope the party can pull together to be as effective as possible.
“It can only be a positive indication that the Labour Party continues to be a broad church.”
Interesting times for the Labour Party, the problems they face are manifold but the crux of them is that more than 20 years ago they stopped representing the working person. Labour was once vehement in condemnation of the EU project which was recognised as being a conspiracy against democracy and the working class. The party also once favoured the views of the normal people above those of the boards of multinational corporations.
This all changed, speeded up with the election of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair as leader. He is a public school educated son of a Tory Parliamentary election candidate and his views are about as far from traditional Labour Party values as can be imagined.
This has led to the current mess they are in. Their vote has collapsed in Scotland and I think that in England and Wales that UKIP will take their place. I certainly hope so as the alternative is a Tory government unchallenged by a realistic opposition; a future that even Tory voters will be uneasy with.
And it’s high time that the died in the wool Labour voters of Wales woke up to the fact that their beloved Labour Party no longer represent them, they voted against their own party at the EU referendum, a result that Carwyn Jones has gotten away with and one which now gives him carte blanche to blame all of Welsh Labours failings on either Brexit or The Tories in Westminster, perhaps all those Labour voters who voted against their own party will do the same at the next elections, and pigs might fly!