Nandy into final round for Labour leadership, as Phillips backs her
LISA NANDY received the backing of former Labour leadership rival Jess Phillips as she made it onto the final ballot paper for the contest.
Ms Nandy joins Sir Keir Starmer in making it through the nomination process after picking up the support of the Chinese For Labour group.
Wigan MP Ms Nandy had already been nominated for the leadership by the GMB and NUM trade unions, meaning she has cleared the threshold to get on the ballot.
Remaining candidates Rebecca Long-Bailey and Emily Thornberry have yet to reach the threshold.
Ms Nandy, whose father is Indian, said: “As someone of mixed heritage, I’m incredibly proud that it is Chinese For Labour who have secured my place on the ballot paper.”
She said she was “looking forward to getting out into the country and laying out my vision for reuniting the party, rebuilding trust, and returning Labour to power at the next election”.
Ms Phillips announced on Tuesday that she was pulling out of the contest, saying she was not the right person to bring the party back together after its crushing General Election defeat.
She said that while she would support both Sir Keir and Ms Nandy among the remaining four contenders, the Wigan MP would be her “number one preference”.
“I think both Lisa and Keir can unite the party and begin the process of winning back trust with the country.
“I’ll be voting for Lisa and Keir, as I think that they can do that. Lisa will be my number one preference.”
In a campaign speech at the Centrepoint charity, in London, yesterday, Ms Nandy said she would raise taxes in order to reverse Tory welfare cuts.
She said the party needed to go out and make the case that taxation was not “evil” but was essential to pay for public services.