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Pro-EU Blairite Pat McFadden joins Labour Party front bench

Blairite former minister Pat McFadden returned to Labour’s front bench yesterday to make a “patriotic” case for Britain remaining in the EU.

Labour leader Ed Miliband appointed Mr McFadden shadow Europe minister in a mini reshuffle on Monday evening.

Left MP Kelvin Hopkins had suggested in Parliament on Friday that there were leading MPs who “privately support a referendum” on Britain’s EU membership.

But Mr Miliband moved to bolster his position that there should be no in-out vote by replacing Gareth Thomas with one of his party’s leading pro-EU figures.

Speaking after his appointment, Mr McFadden said: “I want to make the hard-headed, patriotic case for both Britain in Europe and for change in Europe so that it works for working people.

“We understand that the right road for Britain is change in Europe, not exit from Europe.”

The Wolverhampton MP served as a junior business minister under Peter Mandelson and between 2007 and 2010 and briefly held the post of business minister.

His appointment came as Tory back-bench beast Ken Clarke told PM David Cameron to stop pandering to the “ignorance and bigotry” of Ukip over immigration.

But Downing Street confirmed yesterday Mr Cameron remains set to make a speech outlining his plans to cap the number of EU citizens who can work in Britain.

Makerfield MP Yvonne Fovargue was made shadow minister for young people after Rushanara Ali stepped down from the post in order to vote against Britain’s latest bombing campaign in Iraq.

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