As Mr Brown's Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr Trickett will be the Prime Minister's 'eyes and ears' in the corridors of Westminster.
The Hemsworth MP will be the first point of contact for any MP wanting to raise an issue with Downing Street and will help alert Mr Brown to any potential rebellions in the Commons.

Mr Trickett – a former Leeds City Council leader who worked as a plumber and builder for 12 years – will also have a crucial role to play in helping Mr Brown prepare for his weekly Prime Minister's questions.

He told the YEP: "On a personal level (I was) amazed but delighted. On a political level there is a huge amount of work to do for the Government because of the (financial) crisis.

"I am pleased to be playing an extremely small role in that process."
Mr Trickett is seen as a leading left wing MP in the Commons – in March 2007, he led a backbench rebellion over the replacement of the £65bn Trident nuclear weapon system.

However, he surprisingly resigned in June as parliamentary spokesman for the left-wing pressure group Compass over its opposition to the Government's proposal to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge.

Mr Trickett's appointment has been seen by many as the Prime Minister offering an olive branch to left wing MPs who are unhappy that he has not ditched more of Tony Blair's policies.

He said: "I do come from the left but my job is to be loyal to the Prime Minister and put aside any personal views I have expressed in the past."

Mr Trickett, who recently urged Labour chiefs to propel more candidates from poorer backgrounds into Parliament, was telephoned by Mr Brown at 7am to be offered the job.

He had to postpone a planned meeting with Wakefield council chiefs to rush down to Downing Street to immediately start work.

The Prime Minister's wide-ranging reshuffle has also seen Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik promoted to being a Minister for Justice.

Mr Malik, who entered Parliament in 2005, had been serving as International Development Minister since June 2007. His appointment to the Government last year made him Britain's first Muslim Minister.

He said yesterday: "I am blessed to have been International Development Minister for 15 months and was delighted that the Prime Minister had sufficient confidence in me to promote me to the Justice Ministry."

Meanwhile, Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn retains his cabinet job as Environment Secretary, although his department is stripped of its responsibilities for tackling climate change.

Normanton MP Ed Balls has kept his job as Schools Secretary and Pontefract and Castleford MP Yvette Cooper retains her role as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.