Peter Hain resigns from the shadow Cabinet In his resignation letter, Mr Hain, who has held a number of Cabinet roles, said the election results had been a "huge vote of confidence in Labour's vision for the country and for you personally." However, as I explained when we met before Christmas, I have wanted for a while to explore other opportunities and I am therefore resigning as shadow secretary of state for Wales to focus on two new challenges. He said he had been a long-term supporter of the Severn barrage project and wanted to ensure it came to fruition but also wanted to "contribute much more on wider policy issues," notably African development. Mr Hain was raised in South Africa and first came to prominence as a hardline anti-apartheid campaigner before entering mainstream politics. He said he would not rule out a return to the front bench should he be asked back in future.