Alan Johnson resignation

The New Labour stalwart's decision to quit has left the Labour party reeling.

News of Mr Johnson's decision to resign for personal reasons linked to his family broke on Thursday evening.

Although the motivation behind the move is not directly linked to what many critics have called his poor performance in the job, many Labour figures were admitting relief at the shakeup in Ed Miliband's shadow Cabinet.

Questions about the leader's judgement aside, the new line-up - including Ed Balls as the new shadow chancellor and his wife, Yvette Cooper, taking on the home affairs portfolio - is now settling into its first day in the job.