Labour Deputy Leader Race Intensifies as Phillipson Leads Candidates

The Labour Party is preparing for a deputy leadership contest following Angela Rayner's resignation amid a tax scandal, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson emerging as the frontrunner. Phillipson, a working-class woman from the north east, has positioned herself as a candidate who can unite the party and broaden the leader's reach, emphasizing her record on education reforms and her ability to appeal to Labour's membership and unions. To qualify for the ballot, candidates must secure nominations from at least 80 Labour MPs and additional support from affiliated groups, which has limited the field, with Bell Ribeiro-Addy being the only other declared candidate so far. Prominent figures like Baroness Harriet Harman have stressed the importance of electing a woman from outside London to complement party leader Keir Starmer. The contest highlights internal Labour divisions and the strategic positioning of candidates, with Phillipson seen as the de facto government-backed contender. The election process will culminate in a vote by Labour members in October to fill the deputy leadership vacancy, though the deputy Prime Minister role has been assigned separately to Justice Secretary David Lammy.