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| Bridget Phillipson enters race to become Labour deputy leader | Bridget Phillipson enters race to become Labour deputy leader |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Education secretary says she aims to ‘unite our great party and deliver for working people’ | Education secretary says she aims to ‘unite our great party and deliver for working people’ |
| Who is in the running for deputy leader? | Who is in the running for deputy leader? |
| Bridget Phillipson has become the first cabinet minister to join the race to become Labour’s deputy leader. | Bridget Phillipson has become the first cabinet minister to join the race to become Labour’s deputy leader. |
| In a statement on Tuesday, the education secretary said: “Today I am putting myself forward as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the Labour party, to unite our great party and deliver for working people. | In a statement on Tuesday, the education secretary said: “Today I am putting myself forward as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the Labour party, to unite our great party and deliver for working people. |
| “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. | “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. |
| “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. | “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 our country. But not only am I ready for it, I’ve proven we can do it. I’ve shown we can beat Farage in the north-east, while staying true to the Labour party’s values of equality, fairness and social justice. | “Because make no mistake, we are in a fight. We all know the dangers Reform poses our country. But not only am I ready for it, I’ve proven we can do it. I’ve shown we can beat Farage in the north-east, while staying true to the Labour party’s values of equality, fairness and social justice. |
| “With me as deputy leader we will beat them right across the country and unite to deliver the opportunity that working people across this great country deserve.” | “With me as deputy leader we will beat them right across the country and unite to deliver the opportunity that working people across this great country deserve.” |
| Phillipson is the second MP to put themselves forward for the deputy leadership, left vacant after Angela Rayner’s resignation last week over her tax affairs. | |
| Bell Ribeiro-Addy announced her candidacy on Monday evening, while the foreign affairs committee chair, Emily Thornberry, has indicated she is also considering a bid for the role. | |
| Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme on Tuesday, Ribeiro-Addy said Labour needed a debate about “what’s gone wrong” in its first year in power and warned the party would not be able to “attract or even to retain” voters without a change in direction. | |
| Nominations for the deputy leadership opened on Tuesday and candidates have until 5pm on Thursday to secure the backing of 80 MPs in order to reach the next round of the contest. | |
| The truncated nomination period has led some to accuse the party leadership of orchestrating a “stitch-up”, with Ribeiro-Addy describing it as “unfair”. |