Labour appoints new shadow childcare minister

The move is the second reshuffle of Labour's education team in little over a year, and has been prompted by previous childcare minister Lucy Powell's promotion to run Labour leader Ed Miliband's General Election campaign.

Manchester Central MP Powell, appointed to the shadow early years brief in October 2013, has led Labour's campaigns over the past year against cuts to children's centres and the shortage of free childcare places.

She has been replaced by 33-year-old McGovern, who was first elected to parliament in May 2010 with a slender 500-seat majority in her North West constituency, and would appear to have little experience of children's issues.

McGovern became shadow international development minister in 2013, and is a government whip and private secretary to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

After graduating with a philosophy degree from University College London, she worked in communications for Network Rail before becoming deputy leader of the Labour group at Southwark Council.

She lists her parliamentary interests as international development, work and pensions, business innovation and skills, health, Treasury, Nigeria, older people's health services, conditions of employment, supermarkets, and developing countries.

Most of McGovern's parliamentary business has involved issues on international development and social care for adults, although she has asked questions on school meals, youth unemployment and learning disability education.

Earlier today, childcare minister Sam Gyimah took to Twitter to say McGovern would be "leading the line on Labour's unaffordable childcare election pledges", to which she replied "what a lovely welcome to the job Sam".