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Six in race to be Brown's deputy | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
All six hopefuls have gained enough support to enter the race to be Gordon Brown's deputy when he takes over as Labour leader from Tony Blair. | |
International Development Secretary Hilary Benn was the last to gain the 45 nominations needed. | |
The other contenders are Hazel Blears, Peter Hain, Alan Johnson, Harriet Harman and Jon Cruddas. | |
The six will now take part in a series of hustings around the UK, starting on Sunday in Coventry. | |
Voting forms will go out to Labour Party members, MEPs and trade unionists from 1 June, with the ballot due to close on Friday, 22 June. | |
The new deputy leader will be unveiled at a special Labour conference on Sunday, 24 June, when Chancellor Gordon Brown is expected to be crowned the party's new leader. | |
Mr Brown will not face a contest after his only rival failed to gain enough nominations to get on to the ballot. | |
'Listening' | |
Mr Benn was the last of the six deputy hopefuls to gain the required support from Labour MPs - even though a recent YouGov poll suggested he was the most popular with party activists. | |
DEPUTY NOMINATIONS Hilary Benn - 47Hazel Blears - 49 Jon Cruddas - 49Peter Hain - 51Harriet Harman - 65 Alan Johnson - 73 | |
A spokeswoman for Mr Benn said: "He is really pleased with the strong support he's had across the Parliamentary Labour Party and looking forward to meeting and listening to members over the coming weeks." | |
Party chairman Hazel Blears, who came fourth in the race to secure nominations from MPs, with 49, came top in a ballot of party members at a hustings on Thursday, organised by BBC Two's Newsnight. | |
She said: "I'm delighted to be on the ballot paper and to have won the support from members at last night's hustings ballot." | |
'Weekend job' | |
The six contenders were quizzed by Labour activists at the hustings event, jointly organised by think tanks the Fabian Society and Progress. | |
Mr Cruddas, the only backbencher in the race, said there was a need to separate the roles of deputy leader and deputy prime minister - both currently held by Mr Prescott. | Mr Cruddas, the only backbencher in the race, said there was a need to separate the roles of deputy leader and deputy prime minister - both currently held by Mr Prescott. |
He also said he had a "big problem" with the government's flagship city academies, saying areas that refused to have one were being starved of cash. | He also said he had a "big problem" with the government's flagship city academies, saying areas that refused to have one were being starved of cash. |
Ms Blears, who is currently Labour's chairman, stressed her ability to galvanise activists, saying deputy leader was not a "weekend job" and that she intended to be the party's "campaigner in chief" | Ms Blears, who is currently Labour's chairman, stressed her ability to galvanise activists, saying deputy leader was not a "weekend job" and that she intended to be the party's "campaigner in chief" |
"It's going to be a full-time job to get us to win that next election," she said. | "It's going to be a full-time job to get us to win that next election," she said. |
Ms Harman said, as a woman, from the south of England, she would make a good team with Gordon Brown as leader. | Ms Harman said, as a woman, from the south of England, she would make a good team with Gordon Brown as leader. |
"We already know the leader is going to be a man. Do we really need another man to be deputy leader? Labour is a party of equality." | "We already know the leader is going to be a man. Do we really need another man to be deputy leader? Labour is a party of equality." |
Mr Johnson, who received the most support from Labour MPs, with 73 nominations, said the party needed to turn a fresh, invigorated face towards the public and needed a better dialogue with trade unions. | |
He said trade unions felt they had been treated like "embarrassing elderly relatives" during Labour's first term. "That has to stop," he said. | He said trade unions felt they had been treated like "embarrassing elderly relatives" during Labour's first term. "That has to stop," he said. |
Mr Benn said he would like to see an end to "yah boo" politics, which he said turned voters - particularly women - off. | |
Mr Hain said Labour's biggest challenge was regaining voters' trust and reconnecting with the grass roots of the party. | Mr Hain said Labour's biggest challenge was regaining voters' trust and reconnecting with the grass roots of the party. |
"I think there's a whole section of our party that is very disengaged... unless we bring people back together we will not win." | "I think there's a whole section of our party that is very disengaged... unless we bring people back together we will not win." |