Phillipson tops early poll to become Labour deputy

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has emerged as the early frontrunner in the race to replace Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader.

- DAVID MADDOX KATE DEVLIN

After days of speculation over who Sir Keir Starmer’s preferred candidate would be, Ms Phillipson is seen as the leadership’s choice and should easily be able to get the 80 nominations she needs from MPs.

Hours after she threw her hat in the ring, a poll by Survation for the Labour-focused website LabourList showed that she was in pole position among Labour members.

She topped the poll with an overall favourability rating - the percentage of members who said she is a good candidate, minus those who said she is a poor candidate - of +39 per cent. Emily Thornberry, the MP for Islington South and Finsbury and the next most popular candidate, who has also announced she will stand, was on +20 per cent.

Following Ms Rayner’s departure over her failure to pay £40,000 in stamp duty on a £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex, it has been argued that the party needs a non-London MP and a woman to balance out Sir Keir. Ms Phillipson fits the bill, representing Houghton and Sunderland South.

The contest comes as many within Labour are seeking reassurance about government policy following a reshuffle that some have described as “a right-wing coup”.