Labour looking for resurrection as leadership contest begins
The contest to succeed Jeremy Corbyn has officially begun, with six candidates vying for the challenge of resurrecting Labour after its worst election defeat in 84 years.
It is, without doubt, a monumental task, with the new leader having to deal with a split party which has lost the confidence of vast swathes of the public, while at the same time facing a huge Tory majority in the Commons.
Confirmed candidates so far include favourite Sir Keir Starmer, Birmingham MP Jess Phillips, and shadow frontbenchers Emily Thornberry, Lisa Nandy and Clive Lewis.
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey announced her candidacy last night.
The new leader will be announced on April 4 following a members' ballot.
Labour politicians from across the West Midlands have given their views on the leadership contest, which is being widely viewed as a battle for the heart and soul of the party.
Former West Bromwich West MP Adrian Bailey, who stood down ahead of the election, says he is backing Sir Keir due to his “leadership qualities” and skill at managing debates in the Commons.
“There are difficult times ahead and he is the type of first class politician who I think can make a very effective leader when it comes to holding the government to account,” the 74-year-old said.
“He also has a broad appeal across the party and, as Shadow Brexit Secretary, has history in handling an extremely difficult portfolio.”
Mr Bailey, who was an MP for 19 years, says Labour’s manifesto was a major problem with many voters, claiming it featured spending plans that were not credible and “fooled nobody”.
He added: “In the Labour heartlands there was a twin problem of Brexit and Corbyn. The public perceived him as having anti-western values and his stance on Brexit was seen as unclear. By trying to please everyone on all sides of the argument he came across as weak and irresolute.”
Former Walsall North MP David Winnick, who lost his seat in 2017 after serving for 38 years, is also in the Starmer camp.
He said the party needs to move away from Corbynism if it wants to find success at the ballot box, saying the humiliating defeat last month was the fault of the party leader rather than individual candidates.
Mr Winnick said that ahead of the 2017 election voters in his old constituency had spoken against Mr Corbyn “time and time again”. He said opposition to Mr Corbyn had intensified since, and warned that it would be “disastrous” to elect a hard-left candidate as the new leader.
Describing Sir Keir as a “credible, potential Prime Minister”, he said: “We need someone who can start us on the road to recovery, and who is capable of doing the job on the world stage.“If we get it right, those major swings to the Tories can easily come back the other way in future elections.”
Sandwell Council leader Yvonne Davies says she is yet to decide which of the leadership candidates she will support in the contest.
She believes a lack of unity at the top of the party was a major contributor to the election failure, which saw Labour lose both West Bromwich seats to the Tories for the first time ever.
“I don’t think Jeremy Corbyn did a bad job," she said.
"He developed into a competent politician, although his lack of experience in leadership was, at times, used against him.
"There has clearly been instances at the top of the party where people have been more concerned about pursuing their own agendas. It is not acceptable for people within the party to be stabbing the fuel tank.
“To win, we have to be a united front, and that means focusing on our true purpose as a party – the issues such as good healthcare and jobs... things that can have a positive impact on our communities.”
Wolverhampton Council leader Ian Brookfield backed Mr Corbyn in the election, but says that his unpopularity with voters – along with Labour’s failings over Brexit – were the key factors in the defeat.
He said: “Whoever the new leader is, they have got to look at those two key reasons and start listening to the public.
“If we don’t, then we won’t deserve to win an election."
He added: “If you look at the manifesto, there were policies that people liked. But the whole handling of Brexit was a debacle and played a major role in why so many MPs lost their seats.
“In 2017 labour pledged to honour the result of the referendum but we never stuck to it. It doesn’t matter whether you support Leave or Remain, you can’t ignore the people.”
Reflecting on Labour’s election performance in Wolverhampton, where Labour lost two seats and came close to losing a third, he said: "They were big Brexit voting areas.
“Labour has to get past the point where we think it is ok to ignore what people are saying to us.”
Shadow sport minister Rosena Allin-Khan last night declared she was in the running in the contest to become deputy leader.
She is up against shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon, shadow equalities secretary Dawn Butler and shadow Europe minister, Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood.
