Labour leadership contest: Four MPs secure nominations

9 January 2020, 22:25

Rebecca-Long Bailey, Lisa Nandy and Jess Phillips join Sir Keir Starmer in securing enough support to be formal candidates in the leadership contest.

Sir Keir Starmer had already got over the line, and now so have Rebecca Long-Bailey, Jess Phillips and Lisa Nandy.

Launching her campaign to be leader, Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips placed "honesty and straight-talking front-and-centre" politics at the heart of her battle to become the next Leader of the Opposition.

She has the backing of former Labour ministers Margaret Hodge and Chris Bryant, while Ms Nandy has shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth and former shadow minister Jack Dromey on side.

When joining the race to be leader, Wigan MP Lisa Nandy said the Labour party will have to fight to regain trust of voters and "take anger on the chin".

Shadow business secretary and Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long Bailey, favourite of the Labour left, said she could be trusted to maintain "our socialist agenda".

She notably rated the outgoing leader Jeremy Corbyn 10/10.

Her supporters include shadow chancellor John McDonnell, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and Labour Party chairman Ian Lavery - who had been considering his own run.

Ms Long-Bailey has 26 nominations, and Ms Nandy and Ms Phillips both have 22.

Candidates need 22 Labour MPs or MEPs to nominate them before Monday, when the final count will be announced at 5.30pm.

Emily Thornberry and Clive Lewis have also declared they are running, with seven and four nominations respectively.

Angela Rayner remains the only deputy leadership candidate to pass the threshold, but Ian Murray is close, having secured 20.

The new leader and deputy leader will be announced on 4 April.