Labour accused of ‘stitch-up’ over deputy management election contest – UK politics reside

Zack Polanski, the brand new, leftwing chief of the Inexperienced celebration, shall be talking on the TUC convention, later right this moment, Sky Information studies.

Severin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editor.

Ian Murray, the previous Scotland secretary unceremoniously sacked by Keir Starmer on Friday, is again in authorities after an obvious revolt by his Scottish Labour allies and backbench MPs.

Murray, stated to be “furious” about his sacking, was unexpectedly made a junior minister in each the Division for Tradition, Media and Sport and the Division for Science, Innovation and Know-how on Saturday night time, as Starmer’s reshuffle continued.

On Sunday, Douglas Alexander, his substitute within the Scotland Workplace, spoke to Murray’s reputation in an interview with BBC Scotland when he was requested about his colleague’s sacking.

He nodded at Murray’s survival because the Labour’s solely Scottish MP following the rout within the 2015 basic election by the hands of the Scottish Nationwide celebration – when Alexander misplaced his earlier seat of East Renfrewshire. He stated:

I’m considerably biased. He’s each a buddy in addition to a colleague. I’ve campaigned with him, for him, and we owe him, because the Labour motion in Scotland, an immense debt of gratitude. In 2015, within the speedy aftermath after the referendum, he actually saved the flag flying for Scottish Labour within the actually robust occasions. He confirmed extraordinary resilience in addition to talents, and in that sense I’m delighted that he’s again in authorities.

Alexander confirmed he could be taking part in a senior position in Scottish Labour’s marketing campaign to oust the SNP from energy in subsequent Might’s Holyrood election as a deputy marketing campaign chair alongside Jackie Baillie, the Scottish celebration’s deputy chief.

It’s extensively thought Alexander was introduced in to assist rescue the celebration: current opinion polls present its help is plummeting, with Reform UK almost degree, very largely as a consequence of Labour’s unpopularity at UK degree.

Alexander informed the Sunday Present on BBC Scotland his job was to assist defeat the SNP.

Our accountability within the coming months is to do what we did simply a few weeks in the past in Barrhead [winning a council byelection], do what we did a few months in the past in Hamilton [winning a Holyrood byelection], which is to take our case to the Scottish public after which disprove the critics and the cynics.

Challenged in regards to the polls suggesting the SNP only some seats wanting successful an general majority at Holyrood in Might, which the SNP argues could be a mandate for a second referendum, Alexander stated:

To proceed the sooner soccer analogy, I’m not likely going to have interaction in post-match evaluation when the sport hasn’t even begun, by no means thoughts completed.

I’m not likely thinking about anticipating our defeat as Scottish Labour. I’m far more thinking about contributing to Scottish Labour’s victory. And that’s what each one in every of my colleagues as Scottish representatives at Westminster for the Labour celebration, and certainly my mates and colleagues in Holyrood are decided to ship between now and Might.

Shabana Mahmood has met counterparts from the 5 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance for talks on worldwide efforts to sort out smuggling gangs, PA Media studies. PA says:

In her first main engagement as dwelling secretary,Mahmood hosted counterparts from the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand in London after the variety of small boat crossings reached greater than 30,000 in 2025.

Ministers are analyzing utilizing navy bases to accommodate asylum seekers in “temporary but adequate” lodging as Sir Keir Starmer tries to get a grip on the migrants disaster.

Some 1,097 folks arrived within the UK in 17 boats on Saturday, bringing the full in 2025 up to now to 30,100 – a report for this level in a yr.

The determine is 37% up on this level final yr (22,028) and in addition 37% larger than at this stage in 2023 (21,918), in response to PA information company evaluation.

Mahmood stated the numbers have been “utterly unacceptable” and that she anticipated migrant returns underneath a deal agreed final month with France to start “imminently”.

Forward of Monday’s assembly, she stated the 5 Eyes intelligence-sharing pact would “agree new measures to protect our border, hitting people smugglers hard”.

She was joined on the talks by US secretary of homeland safety Kristi Noem, Canadian public security minister Gary Anandasangaree, Australian dwelling affairs minister Tony Burke and New Zealand minister Judith Collins.

The group was additionally discussing new measures to sort out youngster sexual abuse on-line and the unfold of lethal artificial opioids.

Unite’s basic secretary, Sharon Graham, has issued a warning to the federal government, saying it ought to enact full reforms of employees’ rights in an effort to fulfil a “promise to the British people”, Jessica Elgot studies.

Harriet Harman, who served as deputy Labour chief underneath Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband (though Brown by no means made her deputy PM), has stated the celebration shouldn’t let the deputy management contest develop into a debate in regards to the case for a “new direction”. She was talking in an interview on the At the moment programme. Listed below are are details.

An election for the deputy management when Labour is in authorities, simply shortly after our first yr of presidency, may be very totally different than a deputy management election whenever you’re making an attempt to set out a brand new route for the celebration, rebuild the celebration after an election defeat.

And what I believe we’d like is … any individual who just isn’t a counterpoint to the chief, however is complementary to the chief, will broaden the attain of the chief and galvanise the celebration …

The position of the deputy chief is to not present another, oppositional voice. It’s to be a part of a staff. The clue is within the title.

I believe that, by way of extending the breadth of the management, it in all probability must be any individual from outdoors London, and it positively must be a lady. However there are 185 Labour ladies MPs, many very proficient …

With a chief minister and a deputy prime minister representing London constituencies, the celebration may properly assume that the extending of the attain that the deputy gives needs to be any individual from outdoors London, however positively a lady. I don’t assume we are able to have a male prime minister, a person as deputy prime minister and a male deputy chief of the celebration.

If Labour MPs agree with Harman, they usually desire a deputy chief loyal to Keir Starmer, then Shabana Mahmood, the brand new dwelling secretary, Bridget Phillipson, the training secretary, and Lisa Nandy, the tradition secretary, would all match the invoice. However they’ve all acquired fairly essential jobs already, and so will not be .

Non-cabinet ministers who would meet the Harmen standards embrace Jess Phillips and Alison McGovern.

Good morning. The Labour celebration has had 18 deputy leaders in its historical past, however solely two of them have additionally served as deputy PM and a kind of, Angela Rayner, resigned final week. Within the reshuffle that began on Friday, Keir Starmer in impact decoupled these posts, appointing David Lammy as deputy PM (in addition to justice secretary). Labour stated there could be an election for a brand new deputy chief to interchange Rayner and right this moment the timetable for that election shall be set. There is no such thing as a assure that the winner will actually have a job in authorities.

Elections are, by definition, divisive, and the best possibility for Keir Starmer could be for Labour MPs to coalesce behind one consensus candidate. Underneath the principles, an MP wants the help of 20% of the PLP (80 MPs) to be nominated and so it’s potential that this might occur. Anybody perceived as a “rebel” candidate may wrestle to achieve this threshold. Ministers, and cupboard ministers, are free to enter the competition. If Lammy have been to face, and win, he might re-unite the deputy PM and deputy chief jobs, however there’s a robust sense within the celebration that the deputy chief needs to be a lady, and will symbolize a seat outdoors London, and Lammy doesn’t appear anyway. At this level there isn’t any apparent favorite, however Annabelle Dickson and Bethany Dawson have information to potential candidates in their London Playbook for Politico.

Already, there’s a row about course of. Listed below are the important thing developments this morning.

• Deputy management candidates will solely have 4 days to gather the 80 MP nominations they want, it’s being reported. Labour’s nationwide government committee will reportedly set 5pm on Thursday because the deadline for nominations, with the poll going down between 8 and 23 October – with the election over properly earlier than the price range, which is going down on 26 November.

• Richard Burgon, one of many main figures within the leftwing Socialist Marketing campaign group in parliament, and a candidate for deputy chief in 2020, has accused the celebration of a stitch-up. In a put up on social media final night time, he stated:

I’ve been warning about makes an attempt to repair the deputy management election – and what I’ve heard is now being proposed is the mom of all stitch-ups. Simply a few days to safe MPs’ nominations!

This can be a determined transfer to maintain Labour members’ voices out of this race and to dodge severe dialogue on what’s gone incorrect over the past yr – from the positions on incapacity advantages cuts, on winter gas funds, on Gaza and extra. This outrageous timetable reveals a management that’s unwilling to pay attention and to study the teachings wanted if we’re to rebuild help and cease Nigel Farage.

• Louise Haigh, the previous transport secretary and a possible candidate for the deputy management, has revealed on the New Statesman’s web site what quantities to a pitch for the job, demanding “an economic reset” and “a decisive break with the fiscal rules and institutional constraints that hold back renewal”. It’s a severe intervention, and, by implication, a damning critique of Rachel Reeves, the chancellor. Right here is an extract.

There’s a democratic argument on the coronary heart of this as properly. A Labour authorities with a landslide majority in parliament can’t – and shouldn’t – be stopped from delivering the change we clearly set out in our manifesto merely due to assumptions made by the OBR [Office for Budget Responsibility]. If we let unelected establishments dictate the bounds of change, we betray the folks and communities who put their belief in us.

And if mainstream politics can’t ship correct renewal, populists like Nigel Farage will fill the void. Britain’s financial system is damaged not simply in outcomes however in structure. Until we rewrite the principles, we threat managed decline dressed up as moderation.

I’m devastated by the departure of Angela Rayner final week, who constantly supplied a problem to the institution orthodoxy. Her absence is an actual loss to these of us who need to see daring, radical considering on the coronary heart of presidency. The reshuffle has been billed as a political reset, but when we’re severe about delivering on our priorities, it should supply greater than a change of personnel across the Cupboard desk. What the nation wants now’s an financial reset: a decisive break with the fiscal guidelines and institutional constraints that maintain again renewal. Solely then can Labour flip its democratic mandate into the transformation Britain so urgently wants.

Haigh would have issue successful a deputy management contest, due to her resignation final yr over a 10-year-old conviction referring to cell phone fraud, however quite a lot of Labour members will in all probability agree with the argument in her New Statesman article. I’ll put up extra from it quickly.

Right here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Paul Nowak, TUC basic secretary, speaks on the TUC convention in Brighton. The delegates are debating motions referring to the financial system and public companies within the morning, and employees’ rights within the afternoon.

11.30am: Downing Avenue holds a foyer briefing.

Midday: Labour’s nationwide government committee meets to determine the timetable for the deputy management election.

2.30pm: John Healey, the defence secretary, takes questions within the Commons.

3pm: Bridget Phillipson, the training secretary, speaks at an occasion to launch the kids’s plan.

6pm: Starmer speaks to Labour MPs at a non-public assembly of the parliamentary Labour celebration (PLP).

And in some unspecified time in the future right this moment Shabana Mahmood, the brand new dwelling secretary, is chairing a gathering the 5 Eyes safety alliance.

If you wish to contact me, please put up a message beneath the road when feedback are open (usually between 10am and 3pm BST in the mean time), or message me on social media. I can’t learn all of the messages BTL, however in case you put “Andrew” in a message geared toward me, I’m extra prone to see it as a result of I seek for posts containing that phrase.

If you wish to flag one thing up urgently, it’s best to make use of social media. You may attain me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, however particular person Guardian journalists are there, I nonetheless have my account, and in case you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I’ll see it and reply if mandatory.

I discover it very useful when readers level out errors, even minor typos. No error is just too small to right. And I discover your questions very fascinating too. I can’t promise to answer to all of them, however I’ll attempt to reply to as many as I can, both BTL or typically within the weblog.