First Cabinet minister enters race to replace Angela Rayner

Alison McGovern MP has become the fifth candidate to enter the Labour deputy leadership race.

Read her full announcement here

Lucy Powell, who was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Commons last week, has announced she will stand to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.

In a statement, Ms Powell said she had received “much encouragement” to stand.

She said: “Living with my family in my home city, Manchester, has rooted my politics in an understanding of people’s everyday hopes and fears.

“These are the experiences our MPs and party members hear too. As our deputy leader, I would ensure these are at the heart of what we do and how we operate, bringing together all parts of the party and uniting our broad voter coalition.

“Over the last year, as part of the Labour Government I was proud to serve, I have championed our backbenchers, made sure their voices were heard, and sought to unite our team.

“We must use all our talents and experience to ensure our Labour Government, led by our Prime Minister, is successful in delivering our mandate of change.

“This means responding to the huge challenges we face with bold policies, rooted in progressive Labour values.”

Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker has entered the race to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.

Ms Barker, an MP since 2019, confirmed to the PA news agency that she was putting herself forward to succeed Angela Rayner.

Labour needs to “go back to the guiding values of our party” and stop “presenting itself as a pale imitation of Reform”, Bell Ribeiro-Addy has said.

Setting out her pitch for the party’s deputy leadership on social media, Ms Ribeiro-Addy said: “I am standing to be deputy leader because I believe this Labour Government urgently needs to go back to the guiding values of our party and movement, and deliver an ambitious programme of popular, progressive policies.

“We can offer hope and a vision to rebuild Britain after decades of neglect, and take on the politics of hatred and division.

“If Labour carries on presenting itself as a pale imitation of Reform, then millions will conclude that Reform must have all the answers.”

She went on to call for wealth taxes and scrapping the two-child benefit cap in order to “tackle child poverty”, a full arms embargo and sanctions to be imposed on Israel, the unbanning of Palestine Action and the return of the whip to seven Labour MPs “punished for voting with their consciences”.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch will deliver a speech talking about the soaring cost of benefits, and her fears that the country is getting into so much debt it will need an IMF bail out

Labour MP Chris McDonald has accidentally called for Bridget Phillipson to replace David Lammy as Deputy Prime Minister.

The Education Secretary is running to be the next deputy leader of the Labour party.

Emily Thornberry is standing to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.

The chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has become the latest MP to enter the race, following Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson throwing her hat into the ring earlier this morning.

n a short post on social media, Thornberry said: "We fought hard for a Labour government. But we've made mistakes and must listen.

"Welfare. Gaza. Wealth tax. Changes to come on SEND.

"I will be a voice for the membership, unions, PLP, and our constituents - not just nod along."

Away from the battle to succeed Angela Rayner for a second, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has defended Sir Sadiq Khan over the Mayor of London's disastrous handling of the TFL tube strikes.

He told LBC: "I think sometimes, and I know this from my own experience of dealing with the BMA, sometimes things are better left unsaid on air and are better left said in private, when you're trying to resolve a dispute.

"I know he is trying to resolve this dispute.

"It's causing unsold misery to Londoners. And you know, strike days in London are always a horrible experience for everyone involved."

Health Secretary Wes Streeting backed Bridget Phillipson's bid to become the next Labour Deputy Leader.

He told LBC: "I would certainly be very favourable to Bridget. I want to hear the candidates set out their stalls before making a decision.

"But I've known Bridget a long time. I think she is a fantastic Education Secretary, a good colleague, good friend, and would definitely be a great deputy leader if she was chosen.

"There are other women in the race who I think would also be great deputy leaders.

"So I'm not endorsing anyone at this stage, but I think it's a good sign that we've got a great, such a great cabinet minister, putting her name forward."

Bridget Phillipson is standing to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.

The education secretary is the first cabinet minister to throw her name in the hat, and is currently only the second candidate to publicly state they will run.

In a statement, Phillipson said: "I am a proud working-class woman from the north-east. I have come from a single parent family on a tough council street, all the way to the cabinet, determined to deliver better life chances for young people growing up in our country."

In the first stage, candidates have to secure nominations from 80 MPs – a fifth of the total on the Labour benches – by 5pm on Thursday.

They will then have to secure the support of 5% of constituency parties or at least three affiliates – including at least two affiliated trade unions.

The ballot for candidates who clear the nomination hurdles will open on October 8 and close at noon on October 23, with the result announced on October 25.

Labour’s annual conference starts on September 28 and is likely to be used as a key moment in the campaign, potentially causing problems for Sir Keir as candidates set out rival visions for the party.

The successful candidate will replace Ms Rayner as deputy Labour leader but not as deputy prime minister, a position which has been handed to Justice Secretary Mr Lammy.

Labour veteran Baroness Harriet Harman said the role should be filled by a woman from outside London.

The former deputy leader said that the party needs someone who is “complementary to the leader” and who will “broaden the reach of the leader and galvanise the party”, in comments to BBC Radio 4’s Today.

Nominations open on Tuesday, with a hustings on Wednesday as part of the fast-tracked election process.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy became the first person to officially throw her hat in the ring on Monday evening with an announcement on X.

“I look forward to explaining why, over the three short and undemocratic days we have to do so,” she added.

The Clapham and Brixton Hill is from the left of the party – she was recently removed from a trade envoy job as punishment for voting against the Government’s welfare reforms.

Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry has indicated she is thinking about a bid, but like both Sir Keir and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy she represents a north London constituency which could count against her.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh have ruled themselves out of the running, while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is also not expected to run.

Sir Keir Starmer will hold the first meeting of his new-look Cabinet on Tuesday as the race to replace Angela Rayner as deputy Labour leader gets under way.

Sir Keir’s official spokesman said his message to the “refreshed, reshaped” Cabinet would be to put delivery and growth “front and centre” in the second phase of government.

The Prime Minister completed a major Government reshuffle triggered by Ms Rayner’s resignation after she was found to have breached the ministerial code over her underpayment of stamp duty on a seaside flat earlier this year.

But he now faces the prospect of weeks of manoeuvring for the deputy Labour leadership role she has vacated as the race to replace her is set to stretch past the Labour Party conference and into October.