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Jeremy Corbyn is set to offer Ed Miliband a sensational return to frontline politics when he reshuffles his shadow cabinet next week.

The veteran Labour leader is keen to appoint his predecessor Mr Miliband as his new shadow business secretary if incumbent Clive Lewis quits over Brexit.

Rising star Mr Lewis has vowed to vote against Article 50 when the Brexit Bill returns to the Commons next week if the Tory Government does not accept a series of Labour amendments - which they are refusing to do.

“If they’re determined to go ahead with this in the way that they are... then I won’t in all good conscience be able to vote for it,” Mr Lewis said.

“And if that means I walk from the Shadow Cabinet - I don’t want to, but this is a point of principle.”

(Image: PA)

Mr Corbyn has made clear shadow cabinet members will have to quit if they vote against Brexit, and has already lost three members of his top team over the past week.

Mr Lewis now looks certain to be the fourth - and the leader’s office have lined up Mr Miliband as a high-profile replacement.

They believe the former leader’s past experience as Energy Secretary would give him clout in the expanded business brief, which also now covers energy, climate change and industrial strategy.

However it is far from clear whether Mr Miliband would accept the role, having been keen to stay in the background since his resignation as leader in May 2015.

A Labour source said: “They really want Ed to come back. They’ve wanted him for quite a while and in some ways this is the ideal brief.”

(Image: MEN)

An alternative choice if Mr Miliband turns down the role would be Shadow Treasury Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, seen by Mr Corbyn’s team as a possible future leader.

While Mr Corbyn will have to reshuffle his Shadow Cabinet next week after the latest string of resignations, he may allow more junior frontbenchers who rebelled over Brexit to keep their jobs.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said no decision will be taken this week about the futures of 10 junior shadow ministers and three Labour whips who voted against Article 50 on Wednesday night.

Mr McDonnell said Labour chief whip Nick Brown would deliver a report to Mr Corbyn in the coming days with a recommendation as to what action should be taken.

“The parliamentary convention will apply, which is that, if you are in the cabinet or shadow cabinet, you will stand down,” he said.

(Image: PA)

“For other positions, that will be for the chief whip to report and that will be in due course.”

Experts said allowing any whips or frontbenchers to defy the party leadership on such a significant vote would be highly unusual.

“Collective responsibility normally applies to everybody in the government or the shadow government,” said Professor Philip Cowley, of Queen Mary University of London.

Akash Paun, a fellow at the Institute for Government, added: “It is certainly not something that I have come across before, and it does strike me as odd.

“The opposition would normally seek to be as disciplined as the government.”