BURY South MP Ivan Lewis has been handed a fresh position in the shadow cabinet following a reshuffle by Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Mr Lewis has gone from culture to international development while Leigh MP Andy Burnham has also moved from education to health.

Deputy leader Harriet Harman has moved from international development to culture, media and sport in a straight swap with Mr Lewis.

His move was widely regarded as a consequence of his ill-judged remarks at Labour's conference earlier this month about setting up a register of journalists from which misbehaving reporters could be struck off.

The proposal, which was swiftly disowned by the leadership, was thought to have made his continuing stewardship of media policy untenable.

Mr Lewis said he was “delighted” to be appointed shadow international development secretary.

He said: “One of my most satisfying periods in government was as Department for International Development minister for Africa, where I led the UK government's work to ensure maternal and infant health moved to the top of the world's development agenda.

“I will hold the Tory-led Government to account to ensure they honour their commitments to the world's poorest people.”

The biggest positions in the shadow cabinet were left unchanged, with Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper and Douglas Alexander remaining shadow chancellor, home secretary and foreign secretary.