Dame Margaret Beckett, the first woman to serve as deputy leader of the Labour Party, said on Wednesday that “nobody in their right mind would want” the post and described it as "a terrible job, really ghastly," as candidates begin to line up to replace Angela Rayner.
Rayner resigned as deputy leader of the Labour Party and stepped down from her ministerial posts as deputy prime minister and housing secretary after admitting she had not paid enough tax on the purchase of an £800,000 flat in Hove. Her departure has prompted a contest to succeed her that could reshape Labour’s internal dynamics ahead of next year’s general election.
Dame Margaret, who was deputy leader from 1992 to 1994 and later served as foreign secretary under Tony Blair, said she did not want the role when John Smith persuaded her to run. She said Smith "threw" work he did not consider a priority to his deputy, and recalled watching her predecessor Roy Hattersley in what she called "the graveyard slot" during difficult by-elections.
"It's a lot of time, it's a lot of work, it's a lot of responsibility, and it's thankless," she told the BBC. Despite that, she stressed the deputy should work as part of a constructive leadership team rather than acting as an internal critic. "What you've got to do is to make a constructive leadership team that can help and support getting the party in the right place," she said. "That's what's important, not childish games."
Dame Margaret said Rayner had "some problems with it" and attributed some of those difficulties to advisers who sought to present Rayner as a public alternative to party leader Keir Starmer. "That's not good. That's not what the job's about, and it shouldn't be," she said.
Candidates seeking to replace Rayner have until Thursday evening to secure the backing of at least 80 Labour MPs. After that threshold is met, contenders must also win support from either 5% of constituency Labour parties or three affiliated organisations, including at least two trade unions. The winning candidate will be decided in a vote of party members, with the result expected on 25 October.
A number of MPs have declared or been reported as potential candidates. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and South London MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy are among those seeking the deputy leadership. Other names in the contest include Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell, former shadow foreign secretary Dame Emily Thornberry, Housing Minister Alison McGovern and Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker. David Lammy will remain deputy prime minister in the short term regardless of the outcome of the party contest.
Dame Margaret declined to endorse any candidate, saying she would "wait and see what the full slate is," and offered simple counsel for whoever wins: take the job seriously and avoid using the position to show importance by being rude to others.
The contest follows months of scrutiny on Labour’s frontbench conduct and discipline, and comes as the party seeks to present a united alternative to the governing Conservatives. The deputy leadership is expected to play both a public-facing role and a key part in internal organisation and campaigning as Labour prepares for the next general election.