Labour deputy leadership candidates to make their pitch in hustings

Labour deputy leadership hopefuls are set to make their pitches to fellow MPs in hustings on Wednesday, with Bridget Phillipson emerging as the early frontrunner.

The first official tally showed the Education Secretary receiving the most nominations of the six candidates who have put their hat in the ring to succeed Angela Rayner, who quit after a row over her tax affairs.

Former Commons leader Lucy Powell, who was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer in his reshuffle, was close behind with 35 of the 99 overall nominations.

Backbencher Bell Ribeiro-Addy had eight, Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry seven, Paula Barker three and housing minister Alison McGovern came last with two nominations.

The hustings is expected to happen in private online on Wednesday evening after the latest nominations figures are released.

The candidates have until 5pm on Thursday to secure the support of 80 MPs in order to reach the next round of the contest.

Sir Keir Starmer now faces the prospect of weeks of manoeuvring for the deputy Labour leadership role as the race to replace Ms Rayner is set to stretch past the Labour Party conference and into October.

Backbencher Ms Barker criticised the decision to hold the only hustings online.

She told Times Radio: “We are on a one-line whip on Thursday which means that we don’t have to be in Parliament. So lots of colleagues will be travelling back to their constituencies at the time the hustings is taking place.

“I really don’t think that that is the best democratic way for us to run this contest.”

She also complained about the truncated contest, saying: “We have a very, very narrow window of opportunity.

“That is remiss of the party and I would hope that, no matter who the deputy leader is at the end of this process, one of the first things they do is look at our internal processes. There is definitely a need for a culture shift – the party must be far more inclusive.”

Cabinet minister Ms Phillipson ticks the boxes of those within the party expressing a preference for Ms Rayner’s successor to be both a woman and someone hailing from the north of England, as Prime Minister Sir Keir and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy are men representing London constituencies.

Announcing her bid for the deputy leadership, she described herself as “a proud working-class woman from the North East” who had gone from “a single-parent family on a tough council street” to the Cabinet table.

While Manchester Central MP Ms Powell, Liverpool Wavertree MP Ms Barker and Ms McGovern would also satisfy calls for a geographical balance, it could count against London-based Ms Ribeiro-Addy and Dame Emily.

Describing herself as “proud” to have served in Sir Keir’s government, Ms Powell said her politics were “rooted” in “an understanding of people’s everyday hopes and fears”.

Ms Ribeiro-Addy, who was the first to declare her candidacy, is seen as coming from the left of the party and has called for Labour to “go back to the guiding values of our party and movement”.

Dame Emily vowed that she would be “a voice for the membership, unions, PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party), and our constituents – not just nod along”.

She listed welfare, Gaza, a wealth tax and planned changes to special educational needs provision as her key issues.

Ms McGovern said she believed she could serve as “a bridge between members, activists, unions and the Prime Minister”.

The housing minister vowed to take on Reform UK, telling BBC Newsnight: “Politics has changed… it’s not the old Tory party that I grew up hating, it’s Nigel Farage and his little friends.”

Ms McGovern defended her two nominations so far, saying the contest was “very quick”.