Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long Bailey has confirmed she is considering standing in the contest to be Labour’s next leader.
Writing in the Guardian this morning, Labour’s shadow business Secretary promises to champion what she described as “progressive patriotism”.
She confirmed she is considering standing – and that she would back fellow Greater Manchester MP Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, for deputy leader, effectively creating an all-female, all-working-class joint ticket.
She writes:
“From ex-miners in Blythe Valley to migrant cleaners in Brixton, from small businesses in Stoke-on-Trent to the self-employed in Salford, we have to unite our communities.
“Britain has a long history of patriotism rooted in working life, built upon unity and pride in the common interests and shared life of everyone.
“To win we must revive this progressive patriotism and solidarity in a form fit for modern Britain.”
She also defends the party’s election strategy saying that Labour’s policy agenda was popular: “We didn’t lose because of our commitment to scrap universal credit, invest in public services or abolish tuition fees.”
The country she said was sharply divided by Brexit, and our compromise solution satisfied too few.
“But we can’t blame Brexit alone, and we must recognise that it’s no good having the right solutions if people don’t believe you can deliver them.“
