Richard Burgon accuses party of ‘mother of all stitch-ups’ over deputy leadership timetable

Richard Burgon has accused the Labour leadership of a “mother of all stitch-ups” over the expedited timetable for the deputy leadership election.

After a meeting of the party’s national executive committee earlier this afternoon, Labour has confirmed prospective candidates will have until Thursday to accumulate the support of 80 MPs to get through to the next stage in the process.

CLP and affiliate nominations will take place between September 13 and September 27, with a ballot of all eligible members taking place from October 8 and October 23. The result will be announced on October 25.

Speaking at the TUC Congress in Brighton, Burgon – who has been touted as a potential candidate himself, said: “The reason that the leadership of the Labour Party is trying to rush this process is because they don’t want our politics on the ballot paper, and that should concern all of us.

“They don’t want the politics of a wealth tax on the ballot paper. They don’t want the politics of a ceasefire in Gaza and sanctions on Israel on the ballot paper. They don’t want the politics of an improved package of workers’ rights, including trade union rights, on the ballot paper. That’s why they’re trying to push through this anti-democratic stitch-up.”

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Burgon also said there needs to be a left candidate running for the position and said that “left MPs and others” will discuss that, but added that there was an expectation there would be weeks to have those discussions.

“Instead, the leadership of the party has tried to rush the MP’s nomination process through in just a couple of days, which I think makes it the mother of all stitch-ups.

“Labour members deserve on the ballot paper a left candidate, whoever that may be, and I believe that somebody can’t call themselves a left candidate if they didn’t, at the very least, vote for a ceasefire in Gaza and against disability benefit cuts.

“I would remind people that are on the left of the party that Keir Starmer was a soft left candidate. What we need is someone as a candidate who won’t just say what they will do on these issues in the future, but someone with a record.”

When asked if he planned on standing in the contest, Burgon would not say either way.

Burgon, MP for Leeds East, contested the last deputy leadership election – coming third behind Angela Rayner and Rosena Allin-Khan.

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