Bell Ribeiro-Addy, sacked as trade envoy after welfare revolt, launches bid amid accusations of “rushed” contest as Phillipson and Thornberry follow suit
A Labour MP who put pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to take “state-led action” on slavery reparations has become the first candidate to officially enter the race to replace Angela Rayner as the party’s deputy leader.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who was sacked by Sir Keir as a trade envoy following this summer’s welfare revolt, penned a short message confirming her intention to run. The Clapham and Brixton Hill MP, who is also a member of the hard-left Socialist Campaign Group, immediately echoed concerns from leading Corbynistas about the Labour leadership looking to stitch up the left by rushing through the process.
I am putting myself forward to stand as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party,” she said. “I look forward to explaining why, over the three short and undemocratic days we have to do so.”
Rushed Process Sparks Left-Wing Fury
The 40-year-old’s announcement has triggered immediate controversy over what she and other left-wing MPs are calling an attempt to exclude their faction from the contest. “There is a clear attempt underway to rush the deputy leadership contest,” Ms Ribeiro-Addy said. “After the missteps of the past year, we need a proper debate about the future direction of our party; not a coronation.”
Her declaration continues: “It must be a full and fair contest with a genuine Left candidate on the ballot paper.” The truncated timeline gives MPs just three days to secure 80 nominations, a threshold that many believe is deliberately designed to exclude left-wing candidates.
Reparations Pressure and Colonial History
The privately educated life-long socialist was among a group of MPs to put pressure on Sir Keir over the issue of reparations last year. While Commonwealth countries demanded a slavery retribution bill to the tune of around £18trillion, the 40-year-old joined hardliners Diane Abbott and Clive Lewis in calling for action.
Speaking at a reparations conference in London, Ms Ribeiro-Addy argued it was “very insulting [to] tell people of African descent to forget and move forward”. She added: “Reparations are not about relitigating historic injustices, they are about remedying the deep-rooted inequalities that still shape our world today.”
Her stance put her directly at odds with the Prime Minister, who has consistently ruled out any reparations payments. “At a time when there is growing awareness of how racial hierarchies that endure to this day were constituted to justify the enslavement and colonisation of African peoples, state-led action on reparations is sadly lacking,” she argued at the conference.
Ukraine Controversy and Stop the War
Ms Ribeiro-Addy has also landed herself in hot water with Sir Keir over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After Vladimir Putin invaded the ex-Soviet state, Ribeiro-Addy and 10 other Labour MPs were threatened with losing the party whip after signing a statement by the Stop the War Committee.
The statement, which all 11 MPs subsequently removed their signatures from, questioned the legitimacy of Nato and accused the bloc of an “eastward expansion. The incident marked one of several occasions where Ribeiro-Addy has found herself at odds with the party leadership on foreign policy matters.
Rayner’s Dramatic Exit Over Stamp Duty
The deputy leadership race was triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation on Friday following a probe into her tax affairs by Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser. Rayner was investigated after it emerged she had underpaid stamp duty when purchasing a seaside apartment in Hove, East Sussex.
The former deputy prime minister admitted she had underpaid stamp duty by £40,000 on an £800,000 flat in Hove. The complex property arrangements involved a trust set up for her disabled son, leading to confusion over whether the property should have been treated as a second home for tax purposes.
In her resignation letter, Rayner said she “deeply regretted” not seeking specialist tax advice and took “full responsibility for this error”, adding that it was “never her intention to do anything other than pay the right amount”.
Phillipson Emerges as No10’s Preferred Candidate
Following the Clapham & Brixton Hill MP’s candidacy declaration last night, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry have also entered the contest.
Ms Phillipson, who will address the Trade Union Congress in place of Sir Keir later today, is seen by some as a stalking horse for No10 as the Prime Minister prepares for a showdown with disgruntled MPs. In her candidacy statement, Ms Phillipson said: “With me as deputy leader, we will beat them [Reform] right across the country and unite to deliver the opportunity that working people across this great country deserve.”
The Education Secretary’s early entry into the race and her focus on defeating Reform UK has led many to view her as the establishment’s preferred candidate, potentially setting up a direct confrontation between the party’s left and right wings.
Thornberry’s Pointed Criticism
Despite Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham being among those to call for a non-London female candidate to succeed Ms Rayner, Ms Thornberry remains optimistic about her bid. In her statement, Ms Thornberry appeared to take a thinly veiled swipe at Sir Keir Starmer over “mistakes” made since his landslide victory last July.
She said: “I’m running for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. We fought hard for a Labour Government. But we’ve made mistakes and must listen. Welfare. Gaza. Wealth tax. Changes to come on SEND. I will be a voice for the membership, unions, PLP, and our constituents – not just nod along.”
Ms Thornberry had served as Sir Keir’s Shadow Attorney General up until the 2024 General Election, before being sacked and replaced by the Prime Minister’s pal Lord Hermer. Her exclusion from the Cabinet despite years of loyal service has clearly left her with scores to settle.
Welfare Revolt and Trade Envoy Sacking
Ribeiro-Addy’s candidacy is particularly significant given her recent sacking as a trade envoy following the summer’s welfare revolt. She was appointed trade envoy to Ghana in January 2025 but was unceremoniously dismissed in July for rebelling against government welfare cuts.
Her brief tenure reflects both Labour’s lurch to the right and the increasing space for leftist opposition within the party. The south London MP has consistently positioned herself as a voice for those concerned about the party’s direction under Starmer’s leadership.
Socialist Campaign Group Mobilises
Within minutes of her announcement, Ribeiro-Addy had received backing from fellow Socialist Campaign Group members including Richard Burgon, Brian Leishman, Nadia Whittome and Andy McDonald. However, she faces an uphill battle to secure the necessary nominations.
To get on the ballot paper, Ribeiro-Addy must receive the backing of 80 MPs. It is very unlikely she will meet this threshold. There are a dwindling number of left-wing MPs on the Labour backbenches; of the 25 members of the SCG, five are currently sitting without the Labour whip (Rachael Maskell, Leishman, McDonnell, Apsana Begum and Diane Abbott) and therefore do not have a vote.
The “Mother of All Stitch-Ups”
Richard Burgon, who had been expected to run himself, instead endorsed Ribeiro-Addy whilst launching a fierce attack on the process. At a TUC Conference event on Monday, Burgon described the timeline for the election as the “mother of all stitch-ups”.
The compressed three-day nomination period has sparked fury among left-wing MPs who believe it is deliberately designed to exclude their candidates. Several have called for those currently suspended to be allowed to participate in the Deputy Leadership Election, but these calls are unlikely to be heeded by No 10.
Broader Implications for Labour’s Direction
Ribeiro-Addy’s candidacy represents more than just a leadership bid; it’s a challenge to the entire direction of Starmer’s government. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she launched a blistering critique of the party’s trajectory.
“We do have to accept that we have to have a discussion about what members don’t like, and what voters don’t like, and what’s gone wrong,” she said. “It’s very important to note that a load of Labour members and voters aren’t happy about the situation in Gaza, the winter fuel allowance, the welfare cuts.”
She warned that the party was “haemorrhaging votes to the Lib Dems, to the Greens” and criticised what she saw as an obsession with chasing Reform voters: “All we seem to do at the moment is chase down Reform and we cannot do that. We are not good at out-reforming Reform but we can do so much better at being Labour.”
A Contest or a Coronation?
The fear among left-wing MPs is that the rushed timetable will result in Phillipson being crowned without a proper contest. If Ribeiro-Addy fails to secure the necessary nominations, it would leave the left without representation on the ballot, potentially triggering further recriminations about democratic processes within the party.
Labour insiders suggest there’s a possibility that the “anti-government” vote could split between Ribeiro-Addy and Thornberry, preventing either from reaching the 80-nomination threshold. Such an outcome would see Phillipson chosen as leader without facing a genuine challenge from the left, inevitably leading to accusations of a leadership stitch-up.
What’s at Stake
The contest will determine who serves as deputy leader of the Labour Party, though not necessarily who becomes Deputy Prime Minister – that role has been given to Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the recent reshuffle. The deputy leader position carries significant influence over party policy and serves as a bridge between the leadership and grassroots members.
With Labour trailing Reform UK by approximately 10 points in recent polling and Sir Keir’s personal approval rating hitting record lows, the deputy leadership race has become a proxy battle over the government’s direction. The outcome could determine whether the party can maintain unity or faces a damaging split reminiscent of the 1980s.
As Ribeiro-Addy herself warned: “If we continue in the same direction, we’re not going to be able to attract or even to retain voters.” Whether her message resonates enough to secure her place on the ballot remains to be seen, but her candidacy has already exposed the deep divisions within Labour’s ranks.
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Image Credit:
Bell Ribeiro-Addy (2024, crop) — photo by David Woolfall / UK Parliament, CC BY 3.0
