Six contenders face off for deputy job
The six candidates vying to be the Labour party’s deputy leader have faced off at a hustings event in Coventry.
The contenders made speeches and answered public questions on topics such as antisocial behaviour and the National Health Service in a bid to become John Prescott’s successor.
Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain, education secretary Alan Johnson, justice minister Harriet Harman, international development secretary Hilary Benn, party chair Hazel Blears and backbencher Jon Cruddas are all battling for the deputy leadership.
The event was overshadowed by anti-war protestors heckling Gordon Brown and staging a protest outside the venue, with the chancellor interrupted by a female demonstrator as he addressed the audience.
She stood and yelled “Get the troops out now” and “Gordon Brown get the troops out” repeatedly before being dragged from the room by security.
A gang of about 60 protesters from the Coventry Stop The War Coalition group led a noisy protest outside and handed a petition around Warwick University campus.
Mr Brown will take over as prime minister from Tony Blair on June 27th after his only challenger in the leadership election, left-wing MP John McDonnell, failed to get the required number of nominations to get his name on the ballot paper.
The six deputy leadership candidates were asked which issue was crucial towards Labour winning the next general election.
Mr Johnson, the favourite for the job, said Labour should concentrate on addressing poverty.
Mr Cruddas said “intensification around people’s insecurities at work” needed to be tackled while Mr Benn said more homes needed to be built to address the shortage.
Mr Hain said inequality was “the biggest challenge we face as a government” in housing, education, and the labour market while Ms Blears said the public wants “a better job, better home, better education; certainly a better future for the next generation”.
Ms Harman admitted Labour had to “win back the trust and the confidence of the British people” and called on the party to “clean up” its act.
