Bridget Phillipson Announces Run For Labour Deputy Leader
Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, attends the weekly Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, July 2024 (Credit: Amanda Rose/Alamy Live News)
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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced that she is running in Labour's deputy leadership race after Angela Rayner quit the post.
Labour MPs who have confirmed their bids are as follows:
- Bridget Phillipson
- Alison McGovern
- Emily Thornberry
- Lucy Powell
- Paula Barker
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy
Phillipson has been the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South since 2010, and is seen as being on the right of the Labour Party. She has placed high in Cabinet rankings according to LabourList surveys of party members.
As a northern woman, the Cabinet member fulfils the criteria some Labour MPs had set out for their new deputy leader in the drive for a 'balanced ticket'.
“I am a proud working-class woman from the north-east. I have come from a single-parent family on a tough council street, all the way to the cabinet, determined to deliver better life chances for young people growing up in our country," she said in a statement.
“I’ve taken on powerful vested interests in the education sector – and even as they threw everything at me, I have never taken a backwards step. I will bring that same determination to every battle ahead of us.
“Because make no mistake: we are in a fight. We all know the dangers Reform poses to our country. But not only am I ready for it, I’ve proven we can do it. I’ve shown we can beat [Nigel] Farage in the north-east, while staying true to the Labour party’s values of equality, fairness and social justice."
An MP supporting Phillipson told PoliticsHome they believed she could win and would get substantial support from Labour's affiliated trade unions.
"I think the need for a team player rather than someone at loggerheads with Keir will resonate," the Labour MP added.
A Labour left MP reacted to the news, saying: "I like her but I don't think it should be anyone in the Cabinet."
Manchester MP Powell lost her job as Commons leader at last week's reshuffle (Alamy)
Lucy Powell, another northern woman, announced her candidacy on Tuesday. She was sacked by Keir Starmer as House of Commons leader at last week's reshuffle.
"Living with my family in my home city, Manchester, has rooted my politics in an understanding of people's everyday hopes and fears," she posted on X, adding that the Labour government must respond "to the huge challenges we face with bold policies, rooted in progressive Labour values".
Alison McGovern confirmed her candidacy on Tuesday afternoon, making her one of two ministers in the running. The Birkenhead MP and communities minister said she believes she can help "shape" Labour's story in a way that resonates with voters.
"Our country faces a huge threat from the dark forces of right-wing populism. We will only defeat that threat by giving people real hope and pride in our diverse country. And by fighting for those things that unite, not divide, us all: the right to a home, a job and to feel part of this country," she said in a statement.
McGovern warned that Labour must take the fight to "dark forces of right-wing populism" (Alamy)
Also in the race are Emily Thornberry, the Islington MP and Foreign Affairs Committee chair, whose exclusion from Cabinet after Labour won power surprised many, and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the London Labour left MP close to Diane Abbott.
"We fought hard for a Labour government. But we've made mistakes and must listen. Welfare. Gaza. Wealth tax. Changes to come on SEND. I will be a voice for the membership, unions, PLP, and our constituents – not just nod along," Thornberry posted on X, confirming her bid.
Her reference to upcoming changes on SEND – special educational needs and disabilities – is a direct challenge to Phillipson's record in the education brief.
Ribeiro-Addy declared her intention to run on Monday evening. She has urged a change in the government's direction and criticised the speedy timetable of the deputy leadership contest.
PoliticsHome revealed that Labour left backbencher Paula Barker, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, was also thinking about running to replace Rayner – and she has now also confirmed her candidacy, warning that the party has "stepped too far away from traditional Labour principles" and cannot fight Nigel Farge's Reform UK "at their own game, nor should we want to".
Being a London MP may work against Thornberry, with many Labour MPs keen to elect a northerner (Alamy)
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, is the Labour left's candidate (Alamy)
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy have ruled themselves out, as have backbenchers Dr Rosena Allin-Khan and Louise Haigh.
Anneliese Dodds, the former development minister who resigned over cuts to foreign aid, weighed up running but has also decided against. Similarly, defence minister Al Carns reportedly considered a bid but is not putting himself forward.
All candidates need to secure 80 nominations from Labour MPs by Thursday at 5pm to continue in the election – a high bar that will be difficult for Labour left candidates to clear.
Paula Barker is on the left of the Labour Party (Alamy)
To secure a place on the ballot paper, those running will also need to be nominated in the second stage of the contest by either five per cent of local parties or three affiliates, including two trade unions.
If there is still more than one candidate in the running after the first two stages, ending Saturday 27 September, the names will then be put to members in a preferential ballot. The result will be announced on Saturday 25 October.
Additional reporting by Zoë Crowther and Adam Payne.
