First cabinet minister enters Labour deputy leadership race as election gets underway
Bridget Philipson has become the first cabinet minister to enter the Labour deputy leadership race following Angela Rayner's resignation.
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The Education Secretary is currently one of three women to have entered the race to succeed Ms Rayner following her exit over a breach of the ministerial code.
Alongside Ms Philipson, Dame Emily Thornberry and Bell Ribeiro-Addy have also announced their intention to run.
It comes as Health Secretary Wes Streeting told LBC: "I think it's good if there's gender balance in the top ticket."
Nominations opened this morning, with the new deputy leader set to be formally announced on October 25.
Ms Rayner stepped down as Deputy PM and housing minister after failing to pay the correct rate of stamp duty following the purchase of a third property in Hove.
Speaking with Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Mr Streeting appeared to support Ms Philipson's decision to toss her hat into the ring.
"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," he insisted.
However, he refused to go as far as backing her in her deputy Labour leadership bid.
"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 last minute," Mr Streeting insisted.
The chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Thornberry has become the latest MP to throw her hat into the ring.
Posting to social media, Dame 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."
A lesser-known figure, Bell Ribeiro-Addy is currently the Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer hit out at Reform UK and the Green Party as he addressed Labour MPs for the first time since he reshuffled his Cabinet
The party confirmed that MPs hoping to replace Ms Rayner as the party's deputy leader have until Thursday to secure the support of colleagues at Westminster.
The Prime Minister was seen to criticise his perceives rivals earlier this week, calling Reform UK "plastic patriots" and hitting out at those whose "politics are grounded in grievance".
He added that Nigel Farage "called for sanctions against our country that would hit working people" during his trip to Washington last week.
Sir Keir then said there are "plastic progressives on the other side too" and that "there's nothing progressive about a Green Party that opposes green infrastructure, blocks house building, and wants to take us out of Nato".
Starmer has been feeling the pressure as his government has struggled to deliver growth in its first year, while his handling of migration and Israel’s war on Gaza have attracted criticism from both the left and right.
Reform UK also continues to outperform Labour in the polls, sitting at around 30% to Labour’s 20% - which has seen Starmer echo many of the party leader Nigel Farage’s talking points.
Meanwhile, the Green party elected a new charismatic leader in Zack Polanski just weeks ago, representing a fresh threat from the left.
It's why this election for the new Labour party deputy leader has been billed as a referendum on his centre-right politics, with candidates on the left of the party criticising the process as a ‘stitch-up’ as it doesn’t give them time to reach a consensus on a candidate.
Given the tight deadline, there has been a lot of movement within the party tonight - as some members already put themselves forward while others drop out of the race.
Several senior female Labour MPs have withdrawn from the race.
Newly appointed home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she wants to focus on her new job, while Louise Haigh, championed as a potential candidate by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, said she wants to campaign for a new approach from the government from the backbenches.
Safeguarding minister Jess Philips and culture secretary Lisa Nandy also won’t be running for deputy leadership.
Meanwhile Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill and close friend of Labour veteran Diane Abbott, has announced she is running as the candidate from the left of the party.
Ms Phillipson is likely to gain significant support from within Downing Street, while Emily Thornberry - popular among backbenchers - is also expected to put herself forward.
The Prime Minister opened the Parliamentary Labour Party meeting on Monday by paying tribute to his former deputy before thanking MPs for their work over the first year of his Government.
He told them phase two of his Government is about delivery and that growth is essential to boosting living standards and investing in public services.
He said the Labour party will have to “fight” to build new houses, better transport infrastructure, and for “every young child to go as far as his or her talent will take them”.
Sir Keir assured them the Employment Rights Bill will continue with the same "substance" and to the same timetable as before, amid fears that it could be watered down.
The Labour Party's National Executive Committee had earlier laid out a timetable for the contest to elect a new deputy leader, with the result of the process set to be announced on October 25.
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.
Nominations open on Tuesday, with a hustings on Wednesday as part of the fast-tracked election process.
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 David Lammy.
Former deputy leader and Labour veteran Baroness Harriet Harman said the role should be filled by a woman from outside London, telling BBC Radio 4's Today that the party needs someone who is "complementary to the leader" and who will "broaden the reach of the leader and galvanise the party".
The contest was triggered by Ms Rayner's resignation following an ethics investigation which found she had breached the ministerial code over her underpayment of stamp duty on a seaside flat earlier this year.
Sir Keir has sought to draw a line under the scandal, completing a major Government reshuffle on Sunday night and telling his new-look Cabinet to "go up a gear" in delivering on Labour's pledges.
But he now faces the prospect of a party conference overshadowed by manoeuvring for the deputy leadership role vacated by Ms Rayner, who was popular among the grassroots and seen as a bridge between No 10 and the wider party.
Meanwhile, Ms Rayner is facing Opposition pressure to reject a severance payment which ministers are entitled to when they leave Cabinet.
New Labour rules coming into force in October will allow the Prime Minister to deny a golden goodbye to any members of Government found to have committed a "serious breach" of the ministerial code.
But ministers have said that because Ms Rayner's departure comes before the changes kick in, it is a decision for her whether or not she takes the payment, which could be as much as £16,876 under existing rules.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It's obviously right that we've changed the rules and are strengthening those rules, which will come into effect in October.
"But I'm not going to get into individual cases."