‘The deputy leadership contest must be an open, honest and democratic debate about Labour’s direction’

Bell Ribeiro-Addy is one of the candidates standing to be deputy leader of the Labour Party. LabourList has approached all candidates for their pitch.

Our country and our party are at a crossroads. We are losing voters in every direction: the Greens, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Liberal Democrats are all picking up support, and Your Party will likely take more still. These parties all pitch to our left, and yet instead of listening to those concerns, our leadership’s focus is almost entirely on Reform UK, whose divisive rhetoric and policies we are echoing.

Accepting and amplifying Reform’s framing of migration is always going to benefit the radical right rather than progressive parties of the left. Recent polling found 74% of 2024 Labour voters leaning towards Reform would back wealth, gambling, and bank taxes. The pathway to the Red Wall doesn’t lie in scapegoating migrants, it lies in redistributive policies and public investment to improve lives in communities that have been left behind.

The stakes could not be higher. Will we use our time in government to transform Britain and lay the groundwork for re-election? Or will we fan the flames of division, and pave the way for Britain’s first far-right government with Nigel Farage in 10 Downing Street?

The best decisions consult a range of people and consider a range of perspectives. Different people bring different experiences, knowledge and insight. Ideas can be challenged from another viewpoint, and improved in the process. By including varied voices, our decisions become stronger, more robust, more grounded in the rich diversity of our movement.

The best leaders recognise this. They encourage critical dissent in the knowledge that this will improve outcomes, and with the confidence that their leadership is strong enough to withstand criticism.

My worry is that our party and our country will not be given the debate we deserve. Instead, there are efforts to turn this leadership contest into a coronation, with only government-approved candidates allowed. It’s preposterous to only allow MPs two days to decide their nominations, denying them the time to consult local party members. And the threshold of 80 means that valuable perspectives and traditions in our party will be kept off the ballot. I can only hope that my parliamentary colleagues exercise their right to nominate wisely, to allow the widest possible debate.

As Deputy Leader, I will serve our party loyally. That means treating our members and affiliated trade unions with the respect they deserve. I will strive to ensure that future candidate selections are conducted fairly and transparently so that members are given a choice between candidates from across the ideological spectrum of our party’s traditions. And they should have faith that the result reflects the votes cast. I will oppose the use of Anonyvoter, which has been subject to so much criticism.

The same should apply within the Parliamentary Labour Party. We must tolerate a range of opinions rather than seeking to lock out dissenting voices. The whip must be restored to my colleagues who voted for the two child cap to be lifted and against welfare cuts. They followed our Labour values and the party owes them gratitude, not punishment.

I am a proud member of the Socialist Campaign Group. I represent a major tradition in our party, and my views are overwhelmingly supported by our voters. In Parliament, I voted for a ceasefire in Gaza, I opposed cuts to disability support and I resisted attacks on civil liberties, including the proscription of Palestine Action. As Deputy Leader, I will push for a wealth tax, for the government to oppose the Gaza genocide, and for us to treat migrants with dignity.

A bird cannot fly with one wing. The experiment in shutting out the Labour Left over recent years has proven it. MPs have the power to open the debate, and take the Labour Party back to its guiding values. I hope they will use it.

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