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Emily Thornberry has been made Shadow Brexit Secretary in a new double job at the top of Labour.

The multitasking London MP is now responsible for Brexit , Foreign Affairs and, it's understood, helping her Shadow Defence Secretary successor Clive Lewis finish off the party's defence review.

The doubling-up was immediately blasted by leadership challenger Owen Smith, who said: "I’ll appoint a full-time Shadow Brexit Secretary as soon as I’m elected.

"Brexit is the biggest political process of our generation, and it’s not good enough to make scrutiny of this vital brief a jobshare."

The move was confirmed today nearly a week after Theresa May created the dedicated job of Brexit Secretary (David Davis), with its own separate department, in one of her first moves as Prime Minister.

(Image: ITV)

Mrs May's other new post of International Trade Secretary (Liam Fox) will be shadowed by Labour MP Barry Gardiner - who is also in charge of energy and climate change.

The shake-up means Ms Thornberry is the third member of the Shadow Cabinet to be given two jobs.

Also doubling up are Paul Flynn, who's in charge of Wales and leading the Commons, and Dave Anderson, who heads up both Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Technically Mr Gardiner is not doing two shadow cabinet jobs because the Department of Energy and Climate Change has been scrapped. He is just still covering the topic.

Mr Corbyn scaled back the size of his top team from 31 to 25, ditching a dedicated mental health job in a move attacked by Labour backbenchers , as he struggled to persuade MPs to join him.

(Image: Getty)

Some 64 quit the frontbench, including nearly three quarters of the shadow cabinet.

When the mental health job was cut a Labour spokesman said: "The improvement of mental health services remains a crucial issue and Jeremy has asked the Shadow Secretary of State for Health to put it at the forefront of her responsibilities."

But Tory PM Theresa May seized the chance to attack her opposite number minutes before today's announcement.

She channeled Margaret Thatcher's style as she told Mr Corbyn at PMQs today: "I suspect there are many members on the Opposition benches who might be familiar with an unscrupulous boss.

(Image: Getty Images)

“A boss that doesn’t listen to his workers. A boss that requires some of his workers to double their workload. Maybe even a boss that exploits the rules to further his own career.

“Remind him of anybody?”

Ms Thornberry was promoted to the shadow cabinet in January when she became Shadow Defence Secretary, launching the party's defence review.

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She ascended through the ranks as she became one of just 40 MPs to back her leader in a no confidence vote.

Despite moving to the role of Shadow Foreign Secretary, it is understood she is also helping new defence chief Clive Lewis finish off the policy study she started.

The review was not finished in time for Monday's crunch vote on Trident, which split Labour three ways despite official policy being to back it, partly because of new developments from Brexit and the Chilcot report.

(Image: Rob Stothard)

Jeremy Corbyn's latest shadow cabinet line-up in full

(* = doubled up)

Leader of the Labour Party

Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP

Deputy Leader of the Party, Party Chair and Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office

Tom Watson MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Shadow Lord President of the Council and Campaigns and Elections Chair

Jon Trickett MP

Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs

Cat Smith MP

Shadow Minister without Portfolio

Jonathan Ashworth MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Shadow Minister for the Constitutional Convention

Grahame Morris MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Kelvin Hopkins MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

Clive Lewis MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

Angela Rayner MP

Shadow International Trade Secretary

Barry Gardiner MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Rachael Maskell MP

*Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Brexit Secretary

Emily Thornberry MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Health

Diane Abbott MP

Shadow Home Secretary

Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP

Shadow Secretary of State for International Development

Kate Osamor MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor

Richard Burgon MP

*Shadow Leader of the House and Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

Paul Flynn MP

*Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland

Dave Anderson MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

Andy McDonald MP

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

John McDonnell MP

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Debbie Abrahams MP

Opposition Chief Whip

Rt Hon Dame Rosie Winterton MP

Leader of the House of Lords

Rt Hon Baroness (Angela) Smith

House of Lords Chief Whip

Rt Hon Lord (Steve) Bassam "The improvement of mental health services remains a crucial issue and Jeremy has asked the Shadow Secretary of State for Health to put it at the forefront of her responsibilities."