Rebecca Long-Bailey 'considering' standing for Labour leadership
The shadow business secretary has said Labour's attempt at a Brexit compromise "satisfied too few" in the general election.
Sunday 29 December 2019 22:31, UK
Rebecca Long-Bailey has said she is considering standing for leadership of the Labour Party.
The shadow business secretary and Salford and Eccles MP, 40, makes the announcement in an op-ed in Monday's Guardian.
"Real wealth and power must be returned to the people of Britain, and their desire for control over their own lives and the future of their communities must be at the heart of our agenda," she writes.
Reflecting on the result of the general election, Ms Long-Bailey said Labour's attempt at a Brexit compromise "satisfied too few" but that the party cannot blame Brexit alone.
"It's no good having the right solutions if people don't believe you can deliver them", she writes.
She also warned against a "return to the politics of the past", calling for the party to "upend the broken political system that has held back our communities for decades".
Ms Long-Bailey also wrote about growing up in areas affected by de-industrialisation and told of how her family had to relocate after the docks her father worked at were closed.
She argues that to win the next election, Labour must rebuild its broad base of support "by uniting all our communities", from "ex-miners in Blythe Valley with migrant cleaners in Brixton and small business owners in Stoke on Trent".
Ms Long-Bailey claims the country requires "bold, transformative solutions" to plunging living standards and the climate crisis.
:: Listen to All Out Politics on , , ,
As the shadow business secretary since 2017, she has led the development of the party's Green Industrial Revolution policy, which she said will "tackle the climate crisis through investment in good, unionised jobs and the re-industrialisation of our regions and nations".
She says that Labour can "win again", but first needs to "come together" and "fight the Conservatives at every turn and map Labour's route back to power".
Born in Old Trafford, Ms Long-Bailey's first job was as a pawnbroker, which she has previously said taught her "more about the struggles of life than any degree or qualification ever could".
She has been the MP for Salford and Eccles since the 2015 general election and was re-elected in the 2019 general election, with a reduced vote share of 56.8% and a reduced majority of 32.3%.
She is frequently put up by the current leadership's office for media interviews and is strongly aligned with Mr Corbyn's politics - making her popular with members.