Several Labour MPs have declared or been publicly linked to bids for the party’s deputy leadership as internal debate over priorities plays out at this week’s Trades Union Congress gathering in Brighton.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed her candidacy and used a speech to set out education priorities and to back employment rights legislation championed by Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner. Phillipson did not refer to Gaza in her address, according to reporting from journalists who attended the conference. News on Monday night also indicated that Louise Haigh will not be standing in the contest.
The Brighton conference featured a contested debate on defence spending in which a motion associated with a "Wages Not Weapons" position won the day, and many speakers concluded remarks with expressions of solidarity with Palestine. A parliamentary sketch in the Daily Mail reported that a Communications Workers Union speaker told munitions factory employees to "go and educate yourselves," and that the focus on Gaza was a prominent theme within some motions and interventions.
Other MPs discussed in relation to the deputy leadership race include Dame Emily Thornberry, Paula Barker, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Alison McGovern and Lucy Powell. Paula Barker is a co-sponsor of an assisted dying bill. Dame Emily Thornberry has indicated she may run but must secure the necessary parliamentary nominations to appear on the ballot, a step that will require support from colleagues and could shape the early phase of the contest.
Delegates’ reactions to speeches varied at the TUC session. Reporting from the event said Phillipson’s address drew limited applause and that delegates responded more energetically when she affirmed support for the employment rights legislation associated with the deputy leader. Organisers and delegates debated both industrial and foreign-policy questions during conference sessions, reflecting broader divisions within Labour and its union affiliates.
Labour’s deputy leadership contest comes amid sustained internal discussion over the party’s policy priorities, with education, workers’ rights, defence spending and the Israel-Palestine conflict all emerging as flashpoints at public meetings and conference forums. Potential candidates must follow party rules on nominations to progress to a ballot, and whichever MPs secure the necessary backing will move into a contested selection process overseen by the party.
The field and timetable for the deputy leadership contest are expected to formalise in the coming days as MPs decide whether to back candidates and as the party sets stages for nominations and voting. Observers say the contest will test how Labour balances domestic policy ambitions with responses to international crises among its membership and affiliated unions.