ACTING leader Harriet Harman filled the gaps left in the shadow cabinet yesterday after two of Labour’s big beasts lost their seats last week and Ed Miliband quit.

Ed Balls, who lost Morley & Outwood by 422 votes, was replaced as shadow chancellor by Blairite Chris Leslie, his former Treasury deputy.

Hilary Benn, son of Tony Benn, was appointed shadow foreign secretary after Douglas Alexander was humbled by 20-year-old politics student Mhairi Black. He was one of 39 Labour MPs who lost their seats to the SNP.

Ian Murray becomes shadow Scotland secretary by virtue of being the party’s only survivor north of the border.

Replacing Mr Benn as shadow communities secretary is former shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds.

She is one of 14 women out of the 29 MPs who are either members of Ms Harman’s shadow cabinet or will attend its meetings — almost a 50/50 gender balance.

Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood also joins the team as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury.

Returning to the Labour front bench as shadow justice secretary is Lord Falconer, who served as lord chancellor and justice secretary between 2003 and 2007 under Tony Blair.

He replaces Sadiq Khan, who resigned from the shadow cabinet in preparation to contest the selection for Labour’s London mayoral candidate.

Jon Trickett remains the only notable leftwinger in the shadow cabinet after retaining his role as shadow cabinet minister without portfolio.

Other senior roles are unchanged from Mr Miliband’s team, with Yvette Cooper keeping the home brief, Andy Burnham health, Chuka Umunna business and Tristram Hunt education.