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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Labour candidates face hustings | Labour candidates face hustings |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| The candidates for the Labour Party's deputy leadership have gone head to head at a hustings event. | The candidates for the Labour Party's deputy leadership have gone head to head at a hustings event. |
| The six candidates made speeches and answered public questions on topics which included anti-social behaviour and the National Health Service. | The six candidates made speeches and answered public questions on topics which included anti-social behaviour and the National Health Service. |
| Gordon Brown, who is to take over as prime minister on June 27, was heckled by an anti-war protester as he addressed the event in Coventry. | |
| A woman yelled "Get the troops out now", but was immediately escorted out. | |
| 'Humble' | |
| As the Chancellor began to describe his humility at becoming Labour leader, the protester stood up and began to chant "Gordon Brown get the troops out". | |
| She repeated her mantra as she was dragged from the room. | |
| The woman was led away by party officials. Mr Brown said he would be taking questions later. | |
| He continued his speech, saying that taking over the top job was a "chance to implement the values" of the Labour Party. | |
| He added: "I feel very humbled today." | |
| Outside the event a group of around 60 protesters from the Coventry Stop The War Coalition continued a noisy protest about the situation in Iraq as they handed a petition around Warwick University campus. | |
| Criminal gangs | |
| The six candidates for the deputy leadership are Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, Education Secretary Alan Johnson, Justice Minister Harriet Harman, Development Secretary Hilary Benn, party chairwoman Hazel Blears, and backbencher Jon Cruddas. | |
| At the hustings, the MPs were also asked what was the one issue that Labour needed to tackle in order to win the next general election. | At the hustings, the MPs were also asked what was the one issue that Labour needed to tackle in order to win the next general election. |
| Mr Cruddas said "an intensification around people's insecurities at work" needed to be addressed, which were linked in to "chronic abuses amongst landlords and criminal gangs". | Mr Cruddas said "an intensification around people's insecurities at work" needed to be addressed, which were linked in to "chronic abuses amongst landlords and criminal gangs". |
| Housing was top of the agenda for Mr Benn, who said more homes needed to be built if a "big, big problem" was to be avoided. | Housing was top of the agenda for Mr Benn, who said more homes needed to be built if a "big, big problem" was to be avoided. |
| Mr Hain said that inequality was "the biggest challenge we face as a government". He mentioned dealing with housing issues, investing in teaching skills, and tackling a "two-tier labour market". | Mr Hain said that inequality was "the biggest challenge we face as a government". He mentioned dealing with housing issues, investing in teaching skills, and tackling a "two-tier labour market". |
| Meanwhile, Mr Johnson said the party's focus should be social mobility. It is harder now, he said, to escape the shackles of a deprived upbringing in the UK "than in practically any other country in the world". | Meanwhile, Mr Johnson said the party's focus should be social mobility. It is harder now, he said, to escape the shackles of a deprived upbringing in the UK "than in practically any other country in the world". |
| Ms Blears added that people getting on in their lives would "win us the next election". People wanted "a better job, better home, better education, certainly a better future for the next generation", she said. | Ms Blears added that people getting on in their lives would "win us the next election". People wanted "a better job, better home, better education, certainly a better future for the next generation", she said. |
| Ms Harman said Labour had to "win back the trust and the confidence of the British people". She said the issue was not just about policies but "how we do our politics" and that "we've got to clean up our act". | Ms Harman said Labour had to "win back the trust and the confidence of the British people". She said the issue was not just about policies but "how we do our politics" and that "we've got to clean up our act". |
| Party unity | |
| Many of the candidates hailed party unity as one of the most important aspect of the job of deputy leader. | |
| Ms Blears said: "We have a fabulous opportunity over the next two years to have unity in the party... to have a united, strong, confident Labour Party with no Brownites, no Blairites and to celebrate the achievements we have made." | |
| The sentiment was echoed by Mr Benn who said there was "no place for factionism" in the party. | |
| Ms Harman added: "It's not just about policies, it's about how we implement them. | |
| "No spinning, no briefing, no backbiting, no Brownites, no Blairites." |