EDUCATION Secretary Bridget Phillipson today joined the high-stakes fight to replace Angela Rayner as Deputy Labour Leader.
The moderate cabinet minister will take on a field of lefties jostling to win the coveted role and put a thorn in Sir Keir Starmer‘s side.
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Announcing her candidacy, Ms Phillipson trumpeted her credentials as “a proud working-class woman from the north east”.
She said: “I have come from a single parent family on a tough council
street, all the way to the Cabinet, determined to deliver better life chances for young people growing up in our country.
“I’ve taken on powerful vested interests in the education sector – and even as they threw everything at me, I have never taken a backwards step.
“I will bring that same determination to every battle ahead of us.”
It comes as Labour’s socialist Left is marching race to replace disgraced Ms Rayner as the party’s Deputy Leader, triggering a fresh bout of infighting.
Party left-wingers are lining up after the starting gun was fired on the contest to find the ex-Housing Secretary’s successor.
Last night Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP declared she would be standing on a socialist ticket.
In a major swipe at Sir Keir, she said: “I am putting myself forward to stand as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
“I look forward to explaining why, over the three short and undemocratic days we have to do so.”
Ms Ribeiro-Addy added: “There is a clear attempt underway to rush the deputy leadership contest.
“After the missteps of the past year, we need a proper debate about the future direction of our party; not a coronation.
“It must be a full and fair contest with a genuine Left candidate on the ballot paper.”
It leaves the PM facing a nightmare scenario of being handed a senior MP with their own mandate and opposed to 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.
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.
he 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.”
Labour’s ruling body yesterday approved a stringent No10 timetable that will require all candidates to get 80 MP nominations by Thursday evening.
A televised hustings at the party’s annual conference in Liverpool at the end of the month 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 the 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 already being handed the Deputy PM job.
It risks a scenario of the directly elected Deputy Leader criticising the PM.
Sir Keir’s authority was already being called into question last night when it emerged that he had 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.
Influential peer Lord Glasman said a leftie choice would “accelerate the extinction of the party”.
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