PA Media
Jess Phillips (second from the left) had been hoping to turn out to be Labour’s first feminine chief
Jess Phillips is about to tug out of the race to be the following Labour chief.
The Birmingham Yardley MP is predicted to launch a press release later amid hypothesis she is going to announce she is withdrawing from the competition.
She missed a hustings earlier on Tuesday organised by the GMB union, at which the opposite 4 candidates pitched for the union’s endorsement.
The competition is in its second part, with candidates searching for the backing of unions and native Labour events.
To this point, shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer is the one candidate to have certified for the ultimate poll – which begins on 21 February.
To make it to the ultimate stage, the candidates should safe nominations from 5% of constituency Labour events (CLPs), or three affiliate teams – two of which should be commerce unions – representing a minimum of 5% of affiliated members.
Sir Keir turned the primary to clear this hurdle after being backed by Unison, the UK’s largest union, and a second union, Usdaw.
In the meanwhile, Ms Phillips does not have any unions or constituency parties in her nook.
The GMB will reveal who it’s supporting later, having heard from Sir Keir, Lisa Nandy, Rebecca Lengthy-Bailey and Emily Thornberry at a two-hour hustings in central London.
Talking on the first regional hustings of the competition final weekend in Liverpool, Ms Phillips stated Boris Johnson could be “terrified” by the prospect of going through her within the Commons.
She has insisted she has the “large character” to vary how Labour is perceived by the general public after its fourth election defeat in a row, however she has struggled to realize momentum within the early levels of the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Corbyn’s successor might be introduced on four April.