London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Jess Phillips enters race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader

Prominent Labour backbencher Jess Phillips has thrown her hat into the ring in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.

The Birmingham Yardley MP has called for a ‘different kind of leader’ and warns her party could face more crushing defeats if it does not recognise British politics has changed in a ‘fundamental way’.

The long-term Corbyn critic warned Labour is in ‘big trouble’ if it fails to win back the trust of its traditional working-class supporters, many of whom switched to the Tories in their droves in December’s General Election.

Phillips has become the third candidate to formally announce their leadership bid after the party suffered its worst electoral defeat since 1935, helping Boris Johnson win an 80-strong majority.

In a statement the Remain backing MP warned voters have lost trust in Labour and stressed the need for the Prime Minister to be challenged with ‘passion, heart and precision’.

She criticised Corbyn’s ‘woeful response’ to anti-Semitism within the party’s ranks and his ambiguity on Brexit, which deterred many voters.

Philips added: ‘We have got to be brave and bold and bring people with us, not try and look all ways.

‘Trying to please everyone usually means we have pleased no one.

‘Now is not the time to be meek. Boris Johnson needs to be challenged, with passion, heart and precision.

‘We can beat him. We need to speak to people’s hearts, and people need to believe we really mean it when we do.

‘Now is not the time to play it safe. What I’ve heard so far in this debate is totally inadequate to the scale of the problem. Voters have changed.

‘We need to recognise that politics has changed in a fundamental way by electing a different kind of leader. More of the same will lead to more of the same result.’

The mother of two boys, who supported domestic abuse victims for Women’s Aid before entering Parliament in 2015, said Labour needs to be ‘clear and straightforward’ if it is to win back voters.

She added: ‘We’re a party named after the working class who has lost huge parts of its working class base. Unless we address that, we are in big trouble.’

Tomorrow she will meet former Labour voters in the Bury North constituency, which the party lost to the Tories.

Philips announced her candidacy on social media with a video in which she visits the North Wales constituency of Delyn, which Labour lost to the Conservatives for the first time since 1987.

She joins shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow treasury minister Clive Lewis as those to have formally declared their bids.

Others including shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, close Corbyn ally Rebecca Long-Bailey and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy are considering challenges and are expected to announce their plans soon.

Philips came third in a YouGov survey of Labour Party members behind Long-Bailey at 39% and Sir Keir at 61%.

The race isn’t expected to formally get underway until Tuesday, with a new leader not expected until the end of March.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×