Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has entered the contest to be Labour’s deputy leader, becoming the most senior figure to put her name forward so far. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, is so far the only other declared candidate in the race to replace Angela Rayner in the deputy leader role.Foreign affairs committee chair Emily Thornberry has said she is considering entering, while former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Tooting MP, and former deputy leader candidate, Rosena Allin-Khan have ruled themselves out.Candidates have until Thursday evening to get nominations from at least 80 Labour MPs in order to take part in the contest. They will also need the backing of either 5% of local parties, or three Labour-affiliated groups, including two unions. Those who clear the bar face a vote by party members, with the winner announced on 25 October.Some in Labour have criticised the tight three-day window for getting MP nominations, which was announced by party bosses on Monday.Ribeiro-Addy, a backbencher from the left of the party, said: “It is absolutely unfair, and I don’t think it’s what the membership want”.Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said Labour needed to have a discussion about “what’s gone wrong” with the party’s direction.She added that many members and voters were unhappy about “the situation in Gaza, the winter fuel allowances, the welfare cuts”.
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Bridget Phillipson enters Labour deputy leader contest
