2 w. ago Who should be Labour’s deputy leader? Whoever can tell a good Labour story – and take the fight to Reform | Polly Toynbee

The political differences between Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell are slight. What the party needs is someone able to unite and persuadeYou might think the last thing Labour needs now is this deputy leadership contest, the unavoidable fallout from Angela Rayner’s sad plunge from grace. But these two combatants, Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell, may ignite exactly the rethinking Labour needs. Like it or not, whoever the contestants were, this would be framed as establishment v insurgent, or as proxies for Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham. It’s for Phillipson and Powell to strike out and show they are their own people. In truth, Phillipson is not very establishment and Powell not very insurgent.Any party would be in a state of ferment after falling further than any previous government in its it first 14 months, with inflation stubbornly high and growth flatlining. It reels from the shock of scoring 20% in opinion polls while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK rides high on 31%.Polly Toynbee i...

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3 w. ago Phillipson urges Labour members to look ahead at launch of deputy leadership bid

The Education Secretary is up against her former Cabinet colleague Lucy Powell for the role.

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4 w. ago Labour deputy leadership contest kicks off as MPs race to succeed Angela Rayner

At an emergency meeting Labour's governing body - the National Executive Committee (NEC) - on Monday it was agreed for a new deputy leader will be in place by 25 October

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4 w. ago New home secretary Shabana Mahmood says she will not run for deputy leader after Labour accused of ‘stitch

Candidates will need backing of 80 MPs by 5pm on Thursday if they wish to standPaul Nowak, the TUC general secretary, used his speech to conference this morning to say that the TUC expected the government to deliver its workers’ rights bill “in full”. He said employment rights were “overwhelmingly popular with voters across the political spectrum”.And he condemned Reform UK for its stance on employment rights. After saying that Nigel Farage claimed to represent working class people, he went on:Here’s the truth – there is a world of difference between what Nigel says and what Nigel does.Every single Reform MP, including Mr Farage, voted against outlawing fire and rehire, against banning zero hours contracts and against day one rights for millions of workers.Ask yourself this fundamental question. Do you believe in your gut that that Nigel Farage really cares about the people of Clacton when he’s off collecting his speaker’s fees in the United States?Do you believe that Richard Tice r...

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4 w. ago UK politics live: Labour to launch deputy leadership race after Starmer completes cabinet reshuffle

Labour’s national executive meeting to draw up plans for contest today

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4 w. ago Labour to launch deputy leadership contest after Rayner’s departure

Process will give party’s leftwing an opportunity to air its discontent with Keir Starmer

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4 w. ago Labour launches deputy leadership contest after Rayner’s departure

Party’s leftwing will have opportunity to air its discontent with Prime Minister Keir Starmer

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