• Following a meeting with Labour Party members at the weekend, Luke submits nomination for Sir Keir Starmer MP for Leader of the Labour Party
• Luke backs Angela Rayner for Deputy Leader, but lends nomination to Dr Rosena Allin-Khan to ensure a BAME woman is on the shortlist

Luke Pollard, Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, has today submitted nominations in the Labour leadership contest. Luke held a meeting with Labour Party members at the weekend to discuss who to nominate in both contest. He has nominated Keir Starmer for leader and Dr Rosena Allin-Khan for deputy leader. Luke supports Angela Rayner to be Deputy Leader but he has nominated Dr Rosena Allin-Khan to ensure there is a BAME woman on the ballot.

Luke said:

“After a grim set of results for Labour in the General Election we need to elect a clear winner, someone who is a Prime Minister in waiting and someone who can unite our party. The candidate best placed to do that is Keir Starmer and today I nominated him and will back him to be Leader of the Party.

 

“I also support Angela Rayner to be Deputy Leader but as she has cleared the threshold to proceed to the next stage of the contest, I am lending my support to Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP – to ensure there is a BAME woman on the shortlist. The Deputy Leader is not an understudy for the top job, it is a different role entirely, and I want to give Labour members a broad range of options. Both Angela and Rosena would be superb Deputy Leaders.

 

“I have invited every candidate to Plymouth so they can speak to members and voters about their vision for Labour. While the contest is going on I am ensuring that the climate emergency is firmly on the political agenda in my new role as Shadow Environment Secretary and I have told each candidate I want to hear more from them about the climate crisis. Labour is best when we are a broad church and I want to thank all the candidates for putting themselves forward.”

Luke and Charlotte Holloway, Labour’s candidate in Plymouth Moor View, had published a set of five tests for candidates for the Labour Leadership to pass before nominating them. Those tests included: having visited Plymouth, support for bold action on the climate emergency, support for our armed forces, an end to austerity and a desire to reform our broken politics.

Luke’s five tests for Leadership candidates is available on his website