Hazel Blears (pictured) is to head a new Labour backbench committee focused on social action and civil society.

The Parliamentary Labour Party's back-bench committee for the Cabinet Office and Social Action will bring together Labour MPs to formulate and contribute ideas to Labour’s policy review on behalf of charities and other non-profit groups.

Blears has been elected chair of the group, while Jon Cruddas is vice-chair and Stella Creasy is secretary.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne welcomed the group's formation. “We are determined to wrestle back the leadership of a big idea in British politics - how do we strengthen our civic society?  

“We have a formidable group of MPs with an extraordinary breadth and depth of experience who are now coming together to help lead the charge.”

Meanwhile, Byrne, alongside fellow shadow Cabinet Office ministers Roberta Blackman-Woods and Jon Trickett, will shortly set out the work plan and membership of a policy review group asking ‘how do we strengthen civil society, social finance and mutuals?’.