Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell are set to go head-to-head in a contest to become the next deputy leader of the Labour Party.
Education Secretary Phillipson and former leader of the Commons Powell were the top candidates nominated by MPs to be in the running for deputy leadership after voting closed at 5pm on Thursday.
Phillipson secured the support of 175 MPs, while Powell garnered 117.
After nominations closed at 5pm on Thursday, the third candidate, backbencher Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who got the support of 24 Labour MPs said she had not secured the required 80 MP nominations to make it into the second round.
The contest was triggered by Angela Rayner’s departure after an investigation found she had broken the ministerial code over her tax affairs.
Although David Lammy was appointed deputy prime minister, the role of deputy leader does not need to be occupied by the same person.
Six candidates initially put themselves forward for the role, but three dropped out before the deadline for nominations.
There are calls for Rayner’s successor to be a woman from the north of England, because both Starmer and Lammy are men representing London constituencies.
Phillipson grew up in poverty in Gateshead, before going to Oxford and being elected as the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South in 2010.
She is seen as the government’s chosen candidate for the role.
It would make Starmer’s life a lot easier if the deputy leader were also part of his cabinet, as they are less likely to challenge him publicly than a more left-wing candidate.
Announcing her bid for the deputy leadership, Phillipson described herself as “a proud working-class woman from the North East” who had gone from “a single-parent family on a tough council street” to the Cabinet table.
Meanwhile, Powell was born in Manchester and has remained in the city that she calls her home.
She is seen as on the party’s soft left.
Powell was sacked from her job as Leader of the House of Commons in the reshuffle and announced her bid to run for deputy leadership on Tuesday.
The MP for Manchester Central has said living in Manchester meant her politics were “rooted” in an “understanding of people’s everyday hopes and fears”.
Powell said she had made the decision “after much encouragement” and was backed by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Describing herself as “proud” to have served in Starmer’s government, Powell said her politics were “rooted” in “an understanding of people’s everyday hopes and fears”.
She said: “As our deputy leader, I would ensure these are at the heart of what we do and how we operate, bringing together all parts of the party and uniting our broad voter coalition.”
Now that nominations have closed, voting will start on Wednesday, October 8, and will close on October 23, before a result is announced on October 25.
Successful nominees that hit the threshold of 80 nominations then have to be endorsed by at least 5% of constituency Labour parties or three institutional affiliates, including at least two trade unions.
The contest then goes to a vote of full members and affiliated supporters who are members of trade unions.
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