Richard Burgon MP will stand to be Labour’s deputy leader
Written by News on 31/12/2019
Richard Burgon, who has been an MP in Leeds since 2015, has said he will stand to be Labour’s deputy leader.
The shadow justice secretary tweeted: “After a break and discussion with MPs and party members, I’m announcing that I’m standing to be Labour’s Deputy Leader.”
Meanwhile, Jess Phillips MP has tweeted a cryptic message which reads: “2020 watch this space.”
Mr Burgon, who is the MP for Leeds East, wrote in a recent article that he thinks it is a mistake to focus blame on Jeremy Corbyn for the party’s dire performance in the general election.
He went on to pay tribute to Mr Corbyn, saying “nobody campaigned with greater energy, resilience and principle” and that all members of the shadow cabinet should accept responsibility for losing so many seats.
He said he wants to regain the trust of the electorate, and to rebrand the party as the champion of the whole working class “whether in towns and cities, whether Remain or Leave”.
He called for a “special commission” to investigate what went wrong for Labour in Leave-voting seats before focusing on 10 of the party’s key manifesto policies as a “vision of hope against the cruelty that will come from the Johnson government”.
He added that Brexit became an “issue of trust” and the failure to “get it done” meant that many people simple did not believe Labour would able to deliver on “our ambitious manifesto”, and that to rebuild Labour, the party “must be the champion of the whole working-class”.
His decision to stand could pitch him into a contest with shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, who is said to be considering running for the post.
The Labour Party’s national executive will meet early next week to arrange the timetable of both the leadership and the deputy leadership.
Labour’s former deputy leader, Tom Watson, quit at the beginning of the general election campaign.
Sky News’ chief political correspondent, Jon Craig, said Ms Phillips’ decision to use a cover photo of Downing Street on her Twitter page is a “pretty clear signal she plans to run” for the Labour leadership.
He said the MP for Birmingham Yardley is an “outspoken, charismatic and colourful backbencher” who is “critical of the party leadership” and “made quite a name for herself with some pretty emotional and passionate speeches” at times in parliament.
In July, Ms Phillips famously took her children to the steps of Downing Street to demonstrate against schools being forced to close early over a lack of funds.
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Mr Craig said it is a “pretty crowded field” for both Labour leader and deputy leader posts.
He said Sir Keir Starmer, the current Shadow Brexit Secretary, “is almost certain to run” for the Labour leadership.
Other potential leader candidates include shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey, Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, former cabinet minister Yvette Cooper and Norwich South MP Clive Lewis.
Among the possible deputy leader candidates is Brent Central MP Dawn Butler, Birmingham Perry MP Khalid Mahmood and Tooting MP Rosena Allin-Khan.
(c) Sky News 2019: Richard Burgon MP will stand to be Labour’s deputy leader
