Labour’s Lisa Nandy throws her hat into the ring to be the leader who ‘understands Leavers and the North’
LABOUR MP Lisa Nandy has said she is “seriously considering” running to be Labour leader. The Manchester born and raised MP said over the weekend she wanted to help rebuild the Labour party that let down constituents in northern leave-backing seats such as Wigan. Ms Nandy was one of the few Labour MPs in the […]
LABOUR MP Lisa Nandy has said she is “seriously considering” running to be Labour leader.
The Manchester born and raised MP said over the weekend she wanted to help rebuild the Labour party that let down constituents in northern leave-backing seats such as Wigan.
Ms Nandy was one of the few Labour MPs in the north of the country to retain her seat in last week’s disastrous election for Labour – with a majority of 6,700 votes.
She suffered a 15.5 per cent swing against her as the Brexit Party scooped up an extra 13 per cent of the vote, and the Tories ate into her vote too.
The MP voted to remain in the EU, but has been sympathetic to her Brexit backing constituents.
After Mr Corbyn announced he would step down following the drubbing, the race has begun to find a successor.
Many MPs are pressing for a Northern MP who understands the party’s heartlands to take over.
Ms Nandy told the BBC she would make it her mission to “bring Labour back to (the people)”.
She said she would to learn the lessons from the election about the trust that had been broken between the Labour party and voters across the country.
In her victory speech as she won her constituency, she said: “I have listened and I have heard you and I will make it my mission from this day forward, to bring the Labour party home to you”.
She placed herself as a leader who would take the concentration of power in the Labour party away from Central London and back to regional areas.
“There is no reason why decision making is concentrated in Central London… our regional offices need to be more empowered to make more decisions,” she said.
I have listened and I have heard you and I will make it my mission from this day forward, to bring the Labour party home to you
Lisa Nandy
Ms Nandy, 40, is said to already have gained support from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and one-time deputy leadership contender Jon Cruddas who have both joined her campaign team.
Ms Nandy has also reportedly been in touch with Unite, GMB, CWU and other unions too.
Her first gig in the Labour party was as a councillor in Hammersmith and Fulham, before she was selection for Wigan in the 2010 General Election.
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She said the Labour party needs wholesale reform in order to rebuild the trust of the people they failed to win over in the election.
Ms Nandy is a relative unknown in comparison to some of the other candidates for Labour leader such as shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry or shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey.
RUNNERS AND RIDERS FOR LEADER
Rebecca Long-Bailey
Ms Long-Bailey has close ties to shadow chancellor John McDonnell, which makes her an attractive candidate to the hard-left Corbyn-backing side of the party.
Emily Thornberry
The shadow foreign secretary has always been loyal to Jeremy Corbyn, but has kept her own politics in the grey area of the party and toed the party line on key issues such as Russia, Israel and Trident.
The MP is currently embroiled in a row with Caroline Flint after she allegedly told an MP of a leave-back seat: “I’m glad my constituents aren’t as stupid as yours”.
Keir Starmer
The former director of public prosecutions has been the leader of the remain movement in the shadow cabinet.
Mr Starmer is MP for Holborn and St Pancras, and the only male candidate said to be in the running so far.
Many pundits have said Labour needs a woman from outside of London as leader.
Angela Rayner
Self-described as “soft left”, the shadow education secratary has said she would like to support a Labour Brexit deal.
She grew up on a council estate in Stockport, dropped out of school at 16 and rose through the ranks of Unison and then the Labour party.
Jess Phillips
The MP for Birmingham Yardley was came out very early on election night saying the results were “punch in the gut” and she was “heartbroken”.
She held on to her seat of Birmingham Yardley and has been critical of Jeremy Corbyn and the party’s approach to anti-semitism.
Yvette Cooper
Ms Cooper ran againt Mr Corbyn in the 2015 leadership election and is seen as a centrist within the Labour party.
She has been the MP since 1997 and held positions such as chief secretary to the Treasury and secretary of state for work and pensions.
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