I’m backing Jess Phillips. Here’s why

The morning of Friday 13th December was devastating for Labour members and activists across the country. It was particularly hard in Scotland, where we woke up to only one MP, months after losing our seats and our longest serving MEP in the European Elections.

But the consequences of the Labour Party having a disastrous election night are far more than just upset and tired activists. It is more than great people losing the jobs they were good at. The consequence of the Labour Party failing on election night will always be a Tory Government. This time, it is one with a majority of eighty and Boris Johnson at the helm.

I do not imagine anyone in our party wants a repeat of the electoral performance we have seen over the past few years. That is why it is vital that we select the right leader to take us forward. UK Labour is very badly bruised and Scottish Labour is running out of chances — this leadership election will determine whether the Labour Party can survive.

The Labour Party is a very broad church, to say the least, but we should be united in that we believe a Labour Government in power will always be better for our country than a Tory one. Until we get our act together as a party, we will continue to face successive Tory Governments. The Labour party is the only party that can stop that, and I believe that as leader that’s exactly what Jess Phillips would aim to do.

Jess Phillips is smart. She is well aware that she is not everyone’s cup of tea. The key thing about her is that she does not try to be. While she is often the subject of mockery because of it, it is actually remarkable that Jess manages to form relationships with people politically opposed to her, such as Jacob Rees Mogg and Anne Milton. Within and out with the Labour party cooperation will always be needed, and Jess has proven that she is willing and capable of doing it.

It also shows that she can listen, even when she does not agree. Given the current divisions across the Labour Party, this is perhaps one of her most important qualities. She will fight to bring our party back together around the common goal of defeating the Tories and the SNP, and in doing so we as a party should be united in pursuing the delivery of a Labour Government for people across this country.

We know our message on Brexit did not work, anywhere. The leadership spent far too long sitting on the fence, and then settled on a policy that was difficult to explain on the doorsteps.

In order to win elections again we must first prove that we can be a credible opposition. Labour must push policies that resonate with voters, not the ideals we hope they will want. We need a strong leader to deliver our message, make clear our values and speak to the people whose lives are being damaged by Tory policies.

Jess Phillips has been holding those in power to account for their failures for years. As a backbench MP she launches attacks on Tory policy strong enough to warrant regular media coverage and response. Challenging the government over the next five years is going to be vital in rebuilding our support in our heartlands, and Jess Phillips has proven that she is up to the challenge.

In Scotland, all the problems that we face across the UK are compounded by confusion over Labour’s stance on a second independence referendum. Ahead of the general election, senior figures visited Scotland and washed aside the policy of the Scottish Party. This damaged our position.

“When you stand in the middle of the road on two big constitutional issues, you do not win. You get knocked over.” — Ian Murray MP

“When you stand in the middle of the road on two big constitutional issues, you do not win. You get knocked over.” were the words of Ian Murray, the sole surviving MP in Scotland — and he was right. That is where we were on 12th December, on Brexit and on Independence — we must never let that happen again. If Scottish Labour wants a future, we have to take action right now.

Jess Phillips has started out strong by framing the debate in the way that Scottish Labour have been trying to do for years. While the SNP continue to cut local authority budgets, fail our children in the education system and plunge our health service into crisis — they avoid talking about their record. Instead, the SNP have become experts at diverting the conversation away from their own performance in government and back to independence — and Jess has made clear that she will not stand for it. She is already challenging their narrative, and that is the only way we can win back voters in Scotland. We must stop allowing nationalism to dominate the debate, Jess Phillips as Labour Leader would be an asset to achieving that.

“Nicola Sturgeon wants to talk to me about threats to Scotland.

“The SNP’s abject failings on education and health show that it is her administration that remains a threat to opportunity and equality for working people in Scotland.” — Jess Phillips MP

Scottish Labour is in a bad place, we need a leader that understands that and who is going to pay attention to the unique problems that the party faces here. Jess Phillips has said that she cares about people in Glasgow as much as she cares about those in her own constituency of Birmingham, and I believe her. From the offset Jess has made clear that standing up to the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon’s tired rhetoric will be a priority. The fact that she is the first leadership candidate to come to Scotland emphasises that, and shows that she’s willing to take the fight to the SNP alongside us.

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