- Saturday, April 27, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
Dawn Butler has become the first major candidate to enter Labour deputy leadership race.
Following Tom Watson’s resignation as deputy leader of the Labour party Wednesday evening, Butler said that she would like to enter the leadership race.
The Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities told Bloomberg: “I thought very carefully about who should replace Tom and, after giving it some thought, I will be throwing my hat in the ring.
“I think I’ve got a track record of countering (and) holding people to account around race and equality and justice.
“I have got a track record of being very supportive to our leader, Jeremy Corbyn and ensuring that the Labour party is on the front foot. What I want to do is build on that.”
In a shocking move, Watson announced on Wednesday that he was standing down as an MP and quitting frontline politics after 30 years. He said he was quitting for personal reasons, and not political.
He said: “I will be taking an active part in this election campaign. I will continue as deputy leader until 12 December and will do everything I can to return a team of Labour MPs who will transform our country.
“I still believe with my whole heart what I believed when I joined on my 15th birthday in 1982: that the Labour party is the most powerful vehicle for social change this country has ever produced. I will never stop fighting for it.”
Other candidates likely to run for the deputy leader role include Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner and Shadow Employment Rights Secretary Laura Pidcock. reported HuffPost UK.
