Phillips backs Nandy for leader with Starmer as second preference

Former contender Jess Phillips has backed Lisa Nandy to be the next Labour leader – and confirmed that Keir Starmer would get her second preference vote.

After pulling out of the race herself, the Birmingham MP described both Nandy and Starmer as candidates who would be able to “unite the party”.

Speaking to Sky News, Phillips said: “Lisa has been deeply impressive throughout the race. And I have found that not just on a personal level but I think the public view and the stuff that she has been doing have really made her stand out.”

She added: “I would be happy if the Labour Party were led by Lisa Nandy or Keir Starmer… I would vote Lisa one and Keir two.”

A spokesperson for her campaign said: “Jess will be backing the candidates who she thinks can bring the party together and win back the trust of the electorate.

“She will be voting for Lisa and Keir. As she has said before, Lisa will be her first preference choice.”

Phillips has also backed Ian Murray in Labour’s deputy leadership race on the basis that “Labour must be a party for every region and nation of the UK, standing up for our values of solidarity and working together, and Ian is the candidate who best understands that.”

The representative for Birmingham Yardley withdrew from the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn with a video message to supporters released on Tuesday afternoon.

The move leaves four candidates in the contest: Keir Starmer, who has secured his place on the ballot paper, plus Lisa Nandy, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Emily Thornberry.

In a LabourList/Survation poll on the leadership races last week, Phillips came third behind Starmer and Long-Bailey, securing only 9% of first preferences expressed by respondents.

Following the first leadership hustings event in Liverpool this weekend, Phillips called her own performance “awful” and admitted that she “probably won’t win”.

Both GMB and NUM have nominated Nandy and the Wigan MP now needs just one more Labour-affiliated organisation to make it to the final ballot paper put to the selectorate made up mostly of party members.

Starmer is the only candidate to have already secured a place on the ballot paper, but there are two large unions still to declare – Unite and CWU – and the majority of local Labour parties have not yet nominated.

Affiliated organisations and local parties have until February 14th to submit their nominations for their preferred deputy and leadership candidates.