Politics

Jess Phillips backs Lisa Nandy for Labour leader after dropping out of the race



Jess Phillips is backing Lisa Nandy for Labour leader, a day after she dropped out of the race, it was reported today. 

Ms Phillips yesterday abandoned her run  as she admitted she would not be able to bring the party together after its “cataclysmic” election defeat.

Today a spokesman said she would vote for Ms Nandy as her first preference and frontrunner Keir Starmer as her second preference.


They said: “Jess will be backing the candidates who she thinks can bring the party together and win back the trust of the electorate.

“She will be voting for Lisa and Keir. As she has said before, Lisa will be her first preference choice.”

Speaking on Sky News in her first interview since dropping out, Ms Phillips said Ms Nandy has been “deeply impressive” in her campaign.

She added: “I have found that not just on a personal level but I think the public view and the stuff that she has been doing have really made her stand out.

“So for me I would be happy if the Labour Party were led by Lisa Nandy or Keir Starmer. I think Lisa Nandy is a brilliant woman and would be a brilliant leader of the Labour Party.”

She added that on her ballot “I would vote Lisa one and Keir two”.

Asked why she pulled out of the leadership race, the backbencher said whoever wins “has to be able to unite the unions, unite the membership and also elected representatives”.

“I think it’s fine to give a fair assessment that that person wasn’t me.”

Ms Phillips also hit back at suggestions from some Labour figures the party’s next leader had to be a woman.

“I wouldn’t have voted for a Tory woman to be prime minister, it has to be the right woman and it has to be the right person,” she said.

Following the announcement Ms Phillips was dropping out, Ms Nandy tweeted: “I’m sorry to see Jess drop out. She has made waves, shown great friendship and I’ll miss her in this contest.”

Wigan MP Ms Nandy today attacked New Labour for letting Thatcherite principles continue. She also gave a speech in London, praising Mr Corbyn for breaking the consensus that “economic conservatism was a bigger priority than people”.

“I’m not going to trash the legacy of the last Labour government because things like the minimum wage were complete game-changers … the investment that went into health and education was really important,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today. “But it is certainly true to say that the consensus that Thatcher built lasted all the way through the New Labour years.”

Ms Phillip’s backing is a boost for Ms Nandy who yesterday secured a nomination from the GMB union. 

The endorsement puts Ms Nandy within touching distance of a place on the final ballot paper.

Candidates need the nominations of three Labour affiliates, including at least two unions, which amount to at least 5% of affiliate members.

The only other route on to the ballot paper is by receiving nominations from at least 33 constituency Labour parties (CLPs).

GMB general secretary Tim Roache said: “Lisa Nandy is a breath of fresh air in the debate over Labour’s future.

“The more members see of Lisa in this contest, the more impressed they will be by her ambition, optimism and decisive leadership. GMB is proud to nominate her.

“Lisa won’t shy away from the tough challenges or bold decisions that lie ahead, because she knows that after 15 years of losing elections, more of the same won’t cut it.”

Ms Nandy, who already had the support of the National Union of Mineworkers, said: “Labour is at a crossroads. To win again we will have to up our game, recover our ambition and inspire a movement.

“The GMB, the biggest industrial union which speaks for more than half a million workers, has been offering that leadership time and time again in recent years.

“As I seek permission to lead us back to power as Labour’s next prime minister I could not be more proud to have their support.”

The GMB also backed shadow education secretary Angela Rayner in the deputy leadership contest.

Sir Keir, Ms Nandy, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry remain in the race. 



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