Labour left and soft left councillors join forces to back Rayner for deputy

Angela Rayner is bringing together councillors from the left and soft-left wings of the party today to help with her campaign ahead of the Labour Local Government Conference taking place in Nottingham this weekend.

Emails have gone out to councillors from Momentum-backed Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett and national executive committee member Alice Perry, who are calling on colleagues to back Rayner for deputy leader and sign a statement of support.

With council and mayoral elections coming up in May, both councillors have stressed the importance of electing a deputy leader who can promote unity within Labour and quickly get the party on the front foot electorally.

Their joint letter describes Rayner, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, as a “natural organiser” and – though she is supporting Rebecca Long-Bailey’s bid – someone who “would be loyal to any of the leader candidates”.

Commenting on the letter, Paul Dennett said: “Who we choose for deputy leader really matters, and on the left of our party there are big debates about which candidate is best placed to take on the role.

“I am pledging my support for Angela Rayner, who I believe is the best choice for local government and our party.

“Angela’s strength in this race is her ability to bring together the leadership team – with strong left credentials and widespread appeal to members.

“We can’t go into another election with a divided leadership team – and Angela Rayner has consistently stood by Jeremy as our leader.”

Alice Perry, considered to be on the ‘soft left’, added: “Angela Rayner is a strong champion of local government.

“She has worked closely with councillors through her shadow cabinet role and understands the real difference Labour councillors make in very challenging circumstances.

“As an experienced campaigner, she is very aware of the importance of local government elections and councillors’ vital role in standing up for our communities and winning for Labour.”

Below is the full text of the letter by Paul Dennett and Alice Perry.

The general election result was a hammer blow to everyone in the Labour Party. After ten years of cuts, we went backwards with voters and to win power next time, we have a mountain to climb. With elections in May this year, we have no time to waste. That’s why we are supporting Angela Rayner to be deputy leader.

We need a deputy leader who will bring the whole party together. Angela has shown she has broad support across the labour movement – backed by hundreds of CLPs and by trade unions representing millions of working people. After years of damaging divisions, it’s time to unite. Angela would be loyal to any of the leader candidates. The deputy leader should be the party’s lead organiser, not someone with a policy platform or separate agenda from the leader.

Angela is a natural organiser. She came into politics as a care worker organising and representing her colleagues through her trade union and she’s never forgotten her roots. She understands the value that councillors bring to our party. We are thousands of community organisers all over the country, we knock on the doors and deliver the leaflets that are essential in any election campaign and we bring to Labour an on-the-ground understanding of the real challenges that people face.

Angela will connect with and win back the voters we have been losing election after election. For too many people, politics is a thing that is done to them, not by them. In electing Angela, we have the chance to send a powerful message to voters that someone who was written off early in life can make it to the top of the party.

We believe Angela is the best candidate for deputy leader and will be giving her our vote. We believe you should too.