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Rebecca Long-Bailey set to contest Labour leadership race

Rebecca Long-Bailey is widely regarded as one of the strongest candidates to become the new leader of the Labour party

The Labour party’s leadership contest picked up additional steam today as a senior member of the shadow cabinet all but revealed her intention to partake in the contest.

Writing in the Guardian, Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy, promised to pursue the cause of “progressive patriotism” if she is elected to lead the Labour party.

An ally of Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Long-Bailey is widely expected to stick to the left-wing agenda of Corbyn and his inner circle.

Indeed, in her Guardian article, Long-Bailey gives strong indications that she will be sticking with Labour’s current policy agenda.

By absolving Labour’s policy agenda, Long-Bailey cleverly shifts the blame for the historic loss at the general election onto Brexit, and specifically Labour’s inability to form a coherent vision around Britain’s exit from the European Union.

More importantly, Long-Bailey concedes that Labour has lost the “trust” of some voters, a veiled reference to the party’s collapse in its traditional heartlands of northern England.  

The shadow business secretary also hints at new approaches, by for instance proposing to work with “campaigners, trade unions and experts” to bring about a “green industrial revolution” to address both the causes and effects of climate change.

Furthermore, in keeping with her left-wing ideological position, Long-Bailey promises “unionised jobs” and the “reindustrialisation” of British regions and nations.

Youthful and energetic, Long-Bailey is considered to be the front-runner to replace Corbyn as party leader. To that end, she has chosen fellow left-winger, the shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, to fill the post of deputy leader.  

 


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