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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and former Commons leader Lucy Powell will go head-to-head to replace Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader.
On Thursday evening, Labour confirmed that both had secured enough Labour MP nominations – 20 per cent of the parliamentary party – to progress to the next stage of the contest.
Phillipson received the most nominations with 175, while Powell secured 117.
To guarantee a place on the ballot paper, the pair must also get nominated in the second stage of the contest by either five per cent of local parties or three affiliates, including two trade unions.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, a London MP on the left of Labour, failed to get the 80 nominations needed, while other hopefuls Emily Thornberry, Paula Barker and Alison McGovern withdrew from the race before Thursday’s nominations deadline.
The contest was triggered when Rayner resigned as deputy party leader, as well as deputy prime minister and housing secretary, after the independent ethics adviser found that she had breached the ministerial code over unpaid stamp duty.
The contest between Phillipson and Powell means Labour MPs who want the next deputy leader to be a northern woman will get their wish.
The winner will be announced on Saturday 25 October.
