Jess Phillips has pulled out of the Labour leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn, saying she is not the person to unite the party.
The Guardian reports that her decision came as she failed to secure any union or affiliate backing, although she secured 23 nominations from MPs to put her into the latest phase of the contest.
Announcing her decision to pull out of the race, Jess Phillips said:
I truly believe that unless we talk to the country on their terms, not just on ours, that we won’t be able to make the gains we need to win an election – and (to) do what everyone in the Labour movement wants to do, and that is make people’s lives better.
In order to do that, the Labour Party will need to select a candidate that can unite all parts of our movement – the union movement, the members and elected representatives – I have to be honest that at this time, that person isn’t me.
In order to win the country, we are going to have to find a candidate in this race who can do that and take that message out to the country of hope and change for things to be better.
The Telegraph reports that it understands that it will now be a two-horse race after sources close to Ms Phillips said that the dominance of Sir Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey meant she was unlikely to secure the necessary backing to progress to the final stage.
Via The Guardian / The Telegraph
