JEREMY Corbyn has come under attack in some quarters for failing to promote any women to the top three posts in his new team.

The new Labour leader, who as an opposition leader yesterday accepted a position in the Privy Council, had pledged to ensure half of the Shadow Cabinet is made up of women.

But as the post-holders were announced on Sunday night some critics noted the three crucial roles of shadow chancellor of the Exchequer, home secretary and foreign secretary all went to men.

Key ally John McDonnell was named shadow chancellor, while defeated leadership rival Andy Burnham was handed the home affairs brief and Hilary Benn continues in foreign affairs.

As the announcements were made, some women Labour MPs and former MPs criticised the decisions.

Labour MP Diana Johnson tweeted the appointments were “so very disappointing”, while former shadow Scottish secretary Margaret Curran tweeted that it needed “an urgent rethink”.

However, as the full team was unveiled it showed women had 16 of the 31 posts, including the key positions of defence, education, health and business, support was given to his appointments.

Angela Eagle, the new shadow business secretary, was also named shadow first secretary of state and will stand in for Corbyn at Prime Minister’s Questions when Prime Minister David Cameron is away.

Reports yesterday suggested she was given the additional role because of criticisms the leadership was getting over the absence of women from the three top posts.

Her twin sister, Maria Eagle, has been made shadow defence secretary – the first woman to hold the role – while Lewisham MP Heidi Alexander will take over from Burnham as shadow health secretary and Lucy Powell, who was Ed Miliband’s general election co-ordinator, will be shadow education secretary.

Hitting back at the criticisms, Elaine Smith, Coatbridge and Chryston MSP, said: “Jeremy Corbyn has now announced his shadow cabinet in full and I am delighted that it is not only gender-balanced but that there are more women than men.

“I understand there was some criticism of Jeremy Corbyn because the so called ‘top jobs’ were given to men. As far as I’m concerned fighting for a good health and education system are at the heart of Labour values and I am pleased those jobs have been given to women.”

Louise Haigh MP also gave her support, tweeting: “Pleased to see #corbyncabinet is first Shadow Cabinet in history to contain majority women, and every one of them brilliant.”

New shadow health secretary Alexander said claims of a male-heavy top team were “nonsense”.

Earlier, Corbyn insisted that the so-called great offices of state were an outdated concept and that society had changed significantly.

A statement issued by the Labour party in response to concerns over gender balance in the shadow cabinet said: “For Labour our proudest achievement is the creation of NHS. We are the party that delivered comprehensive education. We are the party that founded the Open University, and that established and will defend the trade union and employment rights. The so-called ‘great offices of state; as defined in the 19th century reflect an era before women or workers even had the vote, and before Labour had radically changed the state.”

Other appointments include: Lisa Nandy as shadow energy secretary, while Lord Falconer, a former flatmate of ex-PM Tony Blair, will continue as shadow justice secretary.

In other appointments Seema Malhotra was made shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Diane Abbott is made shadow international development secretary, shadow Northern Ireland secretary is Vernon Coaker, while Rosie Winterton will continue as chief whip and Ian Murray continues as shadow Scottish secretary.

Corbyn said his new line-up was a “strong combination of change and continuity”, adding: “We have delivered a unifying, dynamic, inclusive new shadow cabinet, which for the first time ever has a majority of women.”

McDonnell added the health and education portfolios were more important than the traditional “great offices of state”.

He said: “It is interesting, Jeremy said very, very clearly that we don’t accept the hierarchical nature of what we have inherited by these supposed top jobs.They largely stem from the 19th Century when you had an empire and all that.

“For most people the real top jobs are the ones that provide the services like health and education, those sorts of things. So [Corbyn] has broken with that tradition and I’m really pleased.” The National View: Jeremy Corbyn may be the man to hold the Tories to account

‘Rivals bought into Tory austerity’

NOBEL prize winning economist Paul Krugman says Jeremy Corbyn’s victory in the Labour leadership race was down entirely to his rejection of austerity economics.

In the New York Times, Krugman said: “Every candidate other than Mr Corbyn essentially supported the Conservative government’s austerity policies.”

Krugman, said the British media reported “as fact” the “nonsense” that the economic crisis was Labour’s fault and that there was an urgency and necessity for austerity. “And all of Mr Corbyn’s rivals for Labour leadership bought fully into that.”