LABOUR’S Left was last night on the march as the race to replace Angela Rayner as the party’s Deputy Leader triggered a fresh bout of infighting.
Sir Keir Starmer is bracing for a further challenge to his authority after it also emerged he had tried and failed to boot eco zealot Ed Miliband as his Net Zero minister.
Labour’s Left are in a race to replace Angela Rayner as the party’s Deputy LeaderGetty
Sir Keir Starmer is bracing for a further challenge to his authorityGetty
It has emerged he tried and failed to boot eco zealot Ed Miliband as his Net Zero ministerGetty
Party left-wingers began lining up yesterday as the starting gun was fired on the contest to find Ms Rayner’s successor.
But it leaves the PM facing a nightmare scenario of being handed a senior MP with their own mandate and opposed on key issues such as welfare reform and getting tough on small boat crossings.
Labour’s grassroots members — who have the final say — are further to the Left than the leadership and are already angry at Sir Keir for ditching previous pledges.
Downing Street was last night accused by Corbynistas of a “stitch up” by setting a high bar for prospective candidates.
Nobody has officially yet thrown their hat into the ring although several figures have started taking soundings from colleagues.
Local Government Minister and Liverpool MP Alison McGovern was last night being mooted by several insiders as Downing Street’s preferred candidate.
Former International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds, who resigned in opposition to foreign aid cuts, is also a likely contender.
And former frontbencher Emily Thornberry, who was snubbed from Sir Keir’s top team following last year’s election, was yesterday trying to win MP support by laying into her own government.
She texted colleagues: “Welfare, Gaza, employment rights, wealth inequality — too many mistakes.
“We’ve been telling them and they aren’t listening. Good colleagues have sacrificed a great deal to do so. We have got to turn this around together.”
Former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh — also being touted as a candidate — took a swipe at the PM’s handling of the economy in a call for more borrowing.
Other left-wingers — including Rosena Allin-Khan and Stella Creasy — were thought to be considering a tilt to become Deputy Leader, as was recently sacked Cabinet Minister Lucy Powell.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who is popular with members for slapping VAT on private schools, has not ruled herself out.
Labour’s ruling body yesterday approved a very stringent No10 timetable that will require all candidates to get 80 MP nominations by Thursday evening.
Former frontbencher Emily Thornberry, who was snubbed from Sir Keir’s top team following last year’s election
RexStella Creasy is thought to be considering a tilt to become Deputy Leader[/caption]
Other left-wingers including Rosena Allin-Khan are also thought to want the rolegetty
A televised hustings at the party’s annual conference in Liverpool could see candidates publicly attack the Government on issues sensitive to members, including welfare.
Socialist MP Richard Burgon yesterday accused No10 of a deliberately quick nomination period in a bid to cut out left-wingers.
He said: “The reason that the leadership of the Labour Party is trying to rush this process is because they don’t want our politics on the ballot paper, and that should concern all of us.
“That’s why they’re trying to push through this anti-democratic stitch-up.”
While Ms Rayner was made Deputy PM on top of her job as Labour’s elected Deputy Leader, her successor is not even guaranteed a role in government.
Sir Keir’s spokesman yesterday would not commit to such a move, with David Lammy being handed the Deputy PM job.
It risks a scenario of the directly-elected Deputy Leader criticising the PM under their own authority.
And Sir Keir’s authority was already being called into question last night as it emerged he unsuccessfully tried to move Mr Miliband as Energy Secretary.
ITV News reported the PM asked the former party leader to become Housing Secretary, amid fears his eco fanaticism was too controversial with voters — but that he refused.
Figures on Labour’s right-flank have also warned that a left-wing Deputy Leader would be disastrous for the party’s election chances.
Former International Development Minister Anneliese DoddsGetty
Alison McGovern was being mooted by several insiders as Downing Street’s preferred candidateSupplied
Influential peer Lord Glasman said a leftie choice would “accelerate the extinction of the party”.
The big beast — who wants tough action on issues including Channel crossings — told Times Radio yesterday: “Unless Labour can move in order to represent the logic of this new era, reconnect with the completely legitimate concerns of working-class people, it will go the same way.
“I think New Labour was something of a farce and now Keir Starmer is a genuinely tragic figure in that he leads a government where the party itself is still committed to all the holy grail of progressivism, globalisation, multilateralism.”
Former Deputy Leader Harriet Harman insisted the position should be filled by a woman, while several northern MPs ruled out voting for anyone from London.
Meanwhile, Labour’s union supporters used their conference in Brighton to sabre-rattle for the Government to tack to the Left.
Trades Union Congress general secretary Paul Nowak demanded Sir Keir show workers “whose side you are on”.
The militant called for windfall tax on bank profits and gambling, and new wealth taxes. He also urged the PM to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
And Unite general secretary Sharon Graham warned the PM she would cut her union’s funding to Labour by millions unless he adopts more left-wing policies.
Last night, Sir Keir insisted he was not watering down any of his flagship workers rights package despite demands from businesses.
He used a meeting of Labour MPs to hail Ms Rayner and the pro-union laws she championed. He said: “The Employment Rights Bill will continue with the same substance and timetable as before.”
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