Luke Pollard, the recently re-elected Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, and Charlotte Holloway, Labour’s candidate in Plymouth Moor View, have today published five tests for the contenders to win their support to be the next Labour Leader.

Luke and Charlotte have also invited all the candidates standing to be Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party to visit Plymouth, speak to Labour members and voters about the General Election, and how to rebuild trust in the party.

Luke Pollard MP said:

“The General Election was grim for Labour. We lost support from people who wanted to vote Labour but found they couldn’t because of our Leader, Brexit or because they could not trust Labour to deliver the promises in our manifesto.

 

“The only route to Number 10 is to win more seats in the South West. That’s why passing these five leadership tests is so important. I won’t support a candidate for leader that doesn’t pass all five of them because these are the ingredients we need in a winning leader: someone who gets out and about across the country, has policies and an approach people can trust, and someone who recognises the big challenges facing our country.”

Charlotte Holloway said:

“In the General Election campaign I lost count of the number of times I was told by voters that they wanted to vote for me or for Labour, but couldn’t because they didn’t trust the Leader or the party nationally. I want our next Leader to be as popular with the public as they are with Labour members.

 

“Plymouth Moor View used to be a Labour seat, and it can be again. But we must be honest about the challenges we face and the steep hill we have to climb as a party. These tests are critical for ensuring Labour has a leader who can rebuild trust and credibility, and who understands the needs of Plymothians.”

Plymouth Leadership Tests

We can only back a candidate for Labour Leader that:

1. Has visited Plymouth. Plymouth is a brilliant city but we have our challenges. These challenges are not always the same as elsewhere in the South West. First-hand experience of our city and our people is vital to knowing why we won in one seat and lost in another.
2. Backs bold action on the climate emergency. We urgently need to decarbonise our economy to tackle the climate and ecological crisis. That means committing to Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2030, as well as making sure climate and social justice go hand-in-hand.
3. Supports ending austerity. The cuts have gone too far. Despite the soundbites the Tory cuts continues especially for local government
4. Supports our armed forces. We believe Britain is a force for good in the world and that means backing our armed forces, veterans and the defence family.
5. Wants to reform politics. Our politics is broken. We need reform of the way politics works, the style and tone as well as democratic reforms to make voting easier and politicians and Government more accountable and engaged with our communities.