LABOUR was yesterday accused of using a mini-reshuffle to aid Jim Murphy’s bid for the party’s Scottish leadership race — as backbenchers stuck the knife into Ed Miliband’s leadership.

In a reshuffle prompted by Mr Murphy’s resignation as shadow international development secretary so he can concentrate on his election campaign, Anas Sarwar was named junior spokesman for the same brief.

Mr Miliband has used other promotions to reward loyalists.

Mr Sarwar unexpectedly resigned as deputy leader of the Scottish party last week after critics pointed out that Scottish Labour would be led by two Westminster MPs if Mr Murphy got the top job.

On Wednesday evening the Glasgow Herald reported that Mr Sarwar would be taking Mr Murphy’s old job — though it was later announced that this would be taken by former transport spokeswoman Mary Creagh.

A source close to the Scottish leadership election said: “It’s likely Murphy told Sarwar to stand down and this is what he got in return.”

They said it was likely the deal was struck with the co-operation of the leader’s office.

Mr Sarwar’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The accusation came as the BBC reported that backbenchers in north-west England had told Parliamentary Labour Party chairman David Watts that Mr Miliband should stand down. They reportedly suggested the party should move into defence mode rather than try to win the general election.

Mr Miliband dismissed the claims as “nonsense.”

GMB union general secretary Paul Kenny said: “A couple of unnamed MPs seem to be more worried about saving their own rear ends than fighting for a government that can save the NHS and the country.”

Mr Miliband gave the transport brief vacated by Ms Creagh to Michael Dugher, a former special adviser to Gordon Brown and Stephen Byers. Mr Dugher is considered a “bruiser” and is on good terms with both wings of the party.

Leftwinger Jon Trickett was promoted to be a “senior adviser” in the leader’s office.

And former Miliband staffer Lucy Powell will act as deputy to election co-ordinator Douglas Alexander. Party figures believe this is Team Miliband’s effort to wrest back control of the campaign from supporters of Ed Balls’s austerity-lite strategy.