Author: Miles Donavan

Only 99 MPs have nominated thus far, with around 300 to go, meaning there’s still a lot to play for. The first official Labour tally of deputy leadership nominations is out, with Bridget Phillipson leading the race. Below is the number of nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party received by each candidate: Bridget Phillipson – 44 Lucy Powell – 35 Bell Ribeiro-Addy – 8 Emily Thornberry – 7 Paula Barker – 3 Alison McGovern – 2 Only 99 MPs have nominated thus far, with around 300 to go, meaning there’s still a lot to play for. In a crowded field,…

The motion passed unanimously Delegates at this year’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) have voted to campaign for new legal protections for trans and non-binary people following the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act. Delegates voted unanimously for a motion proposed by the TUC LGBT+ conference which argued that the interim guidance issued by the EHRC in response to the Supreme Court ruling is “flawed and inconsistent on the inclusion of transgender, non-binary and gender diverse people in public life, including as employees seeking to impose a duty excluding many workers from single sex spaces…

“You can’t outdo Nigel Farage on anti-migrant rhetoric” A senior trade union leader has accused the Labour Party of ‘pandering to anti-migrant sentiment’ as part of a strategy that is ‘doomed to disaster’. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the teachers’ union NASUWT made the comments in an interview with Left Foot Forward at this year’s TUC Congress. Wrack began by saying that Labour’s record on rebuilding Britain’s public services since coming to power last July is “frustrating”. He told Left Foot Forward: “For teachers, that’s reflected most starkly in this year’s pay settlement in England – so we have made…

The motion called for LGBT+ pay audits Delegates at this year’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) have voted to support the expansion of equal pay legislation. The TUC backed a motion proposed by Unite which called for government proposals to require employers to publish race and disability pay gaps to be increased in scope so that they cover employers with over 50 employers, rather than those with over 250. The motion also called for the government to legislate for compulsory action plans and pay audits and for LGBT+ pay audits and action plans to be introduced in future legislation on equal…

“Just as we are putting our economy back in the service of working people, we are putting our schools back in the service of working people” Trade unionists are currently meeting in Brighton for the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC). On September 9, the education secretary Bridget Phillipson gave a keynote address to the event. In her speech, Phillipson said that Labour was putting schools ‘back in the service of working people’. Phillipson, who has announced she’s standing to be the next deputy leader, told delegates: “When we deny our working class kids the opportunity their talent demands, we deny…

A total of six Labour MPs so far have declared their intention to run. After the starting gun for Labour’s deputy leadership contest was fired yesterday following Angela Rayner’s resignation, speculation in Westminster has been in overdrive on who is likely to run and who isn’t. A timetable lasting six weeks was set out by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) yesterday, with PLP Nominations for Deputy Leader opening today, and MPs will have to vote in person at the PLP office or use a proxy. A hustings for MPs will be held on Wednesday 10 September, they will then…

Left Foot Forward spoke to the ASLEF general secretary at this year’s TUC Congress ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan has described his union as a ‘firm and critical friend’ of the Labour government. He made the comments in an interview with Left Foot Forward at this year’s TUC Congress. When asked for his assessment of the first year of the Labour government, Whelan told Left Foot Forward “I sometimes find myself a firm and critical friend of the Labour Party. We – like most trade unions – didn’t like what happened with PIP, we didn’t like what happened Winter Fuel…

“We need to listen to our MPs more, respect them more and I hope this deputy leadership contest will open up a debate about that whole approach to running the PLP and the Labour Party.” The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has said that the next deputy leader of the Labour Party must be someone who can “root themselves in the mainstream, the heartbeat of the party”. Speaking to Times Radio, Burnham also backed a northern woman for the deputy leadership contest. He said: “I think it helps because for all the reasons I was just saying, I spent…

The motion passed with 2,871,000 votes in favour and 2,291,000 votes against. Delegates at this year’s TUC Congress in Brighton have voted to end its support for increases in defence spending. The Congress passed a motion – ‘Wages Not Weapons’ which reversed a policy that had been adopted at the 2022 Congress. The motion was proposed by the University and College Union (UCU) and seconded by RMT. It called for the TUC to ‘prioritise campaigning for public investment in Britain’s public realm’, to ‘commit to a safe, liveable planet’, and to ‘reaffirm that our movement’s priority is welfare and wages,…

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson also said: “We are absolutely backing the Employment Rights Bill.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged that there will be ‘no rowing back’ on the Employment Rights Bill, despite pressure from some businesses to water it down. After Angela Rayner’s resignation from government, some union bosses had expressed fears that the bill could be watered down, however the Prime Minister has reiterated his support for the Employment Rights Bill which will amount to the biggest uplift to workers’ rights in a generation. Under the bill, workers will get protection against unfair dismissal and sick pay…