New Leaders
It’s 13 years since the Labour Party last had to choose a new leader and deputy. 2 years earlier, in 1992, I had supported John Smith for leader and Margaret Beckett for deputy. After John’s tragic and untimely death in 1994 I wanted Gordon Brown to stand for leader of the Labour Party, but he didn’t want to divide the reforming, modernising vote and so put personal ambition to one side for the greater good of the party and the country.
I am convinced that he could have won then and the overwhelming support that he has received from his Parliamentary colleagues now shows in what high regard he is held by those who know him best. He is now campaigning right across the country: listening to what people have to say, and setting out his own ideas.
His determination to restore trust in the public life of our country is truly admirable. He has already prioritised the NHS and social housing as areas of immediate concern, and pledged to continue Labour’s existing policy of placing education at the very heart of our Government. I believe Gordon Brown has the breadth of vision, strength of character, ability and personal decency to be a truly great Prime Minister.
I’m backing Harriet Harman for deputy. We are choosing a leadership team and I think it would be a pretty bleak outlook if we couldn’t elect a woman. Harriet Harman has been a courageous fighter for women’s rights for as long as I’ve known her. I worked closely with her in opposition when we were both on Gordon Brown’s Treasury team. She has led campaigns for the National Minimum Wage and the Low Pay Commission; fought hard for the Minimum Income Guarantee which raised the income for the country’s poorest pensioners by 12%; and campaigns for the victims of crime. It is an attractive track record of a politician who has championed the interests of those who don’t always get their voice heard on their own. She would make a great deputy for Gordon Brown.