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Shadow Justice Secretary is bidding for Labour’s number two post
Tuesday, 31st December 2019, 3:40 pm
He will insist that it is essential for the party to maintain the policy platform – including returning railways, Royal Mail and the water companies to public ownership and a more interventionist role for the state – championed by Mr Corbyn.
He points out that he nominated Mr Corbyn for the leadership in 2015 when he was a distant outsider.
Hats already in ring
Confirming his candidacy on Twitter, he said: “After a break and discussions with MPs and party members, I’m announcing that I’m standing to be Labour’s Deputy Leader.” He said he would go into more detail once the contest is formally underway in the New Year.
Angela Rayner, the shadow Education Secretary, also looks certain to join the contest. She would be the clear front-runner and has already been endorsed for the post by Rebecca Long-Bailey, the favourite to become leader.
Mr Burgon, who is 39, was a trade union lawyer before becoming MP for Leeds East in 2015.
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Early Corbyn supporter
An early supporter of Mr Corbyn, he was appointed a shadow treasury minister four months after his arrival in the Commons and promoted to the shadow Cabinet in 2016 following a mass walkout from the Labour leader’s top team.
Writing in Tribune magazine shortly after the defeat, Mr Burgon said: “We can’t allow blame for this election to fall on Jeremy’s shoulders alone, just as we all accepted the praise when, in 2017, we secured the highest increase in our vote since the Second World War.”
He argued against a shift towards the centre, insisting that “nostalgia has no role to play” in rebuilding Labour’s fortunes.
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