The Deputy Leader I Would Be
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“What matters is the difference we make. Labour membership is now 250,000 strong. If we organise, mobilise and harness the potential of every single party member, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.” Tom Watson MP, Deputy Leader Candidate A STRONG VOICE FOR YOU Inside: who I am, what I want to achieve, and my pledges to you. Support for Tom SUPPORT FOR TOM “I am overwhelmed by the backing I’ve received from so many MPs, MEPs and Constituency Labour Parties. I had no idea what TO BE DEPUTY LEADER the reaction would be when I announced my bid for the Deputy Leadership. I’m humbled and excited in equal measure. And very FROM ACROSS BRITAIN grateful for all the support I’ve received from across Britain.” Tom has won more support from MPs, MEPs and Constituency Labour Parties than any other Deputy Leadership candidate. Constituency Labour Parties backing Tom Aberdeen Central // Airdrie and Shotts // Aldridge-Brownhills // Almond Valley // Alyn & Deeside // Amber Valley // Angus South // Argyll and Bute // Ashfield // Ashton-Under-Lyne // Ayr // Barnsley East // Bermondsey & Old Southwark // Berwick-Upon-Tweed // Bexleyheath & Crayford // Birmingham Hodge Hill // Birmingham Perry Barr // 174 67 9 Birmingham Yardley // Bishop Auckland // Blaenau Gwent // Blaydon // Blyth Valley // Bognor Regis & Littlehampton // Bolton North East // Bolton South East // Bracknell // Brent North // Brigg & Goole // Bristol East // Bromley & Chislehurst // Bromsgrove // Broxbourne // Burton // Bury St Edmunds // Calder Valley // CLPs MPs MEPs Carmarthen East & Dinefwr // Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley // Carshalton & Wallington // Castle Point // Cheadle // Chingford & Woodford Green // Chippenham // Clackmannanshire and Dunblane // Clydebank and Milngavie // Coventry North West // Coventry South // Crewe & Nantwich // Cunninghame South // Dagenham & MPs backing Tom Rainham // Derby North // Derby South // Dewsbury // Dudley North // Dudley South // Dundee City East // Dundee City West // Ealing, Southall // Easington // East Ham // Eastbourne // Eastwood // Edinburgh Northern // Dave Anderson MP // Jon Ashworth MP // Ian Austin MP // Adrian Bailey MP // Kevin Brennan MP // and Leith // Edmonton // Ellesmere Port & Neston // Elmet & Rothwell // Enfield, Southgate // Forest of Dean // Chris Bryant MP // Richard Burden MP // Richard Burgon MP // Liam Byrne MP // Ronnie Campbell MP // Gateshead // Glasgow Anniesland // Glasgow Pollok // Glasgow Provan // Glasgow Southside // Gloucester // Vernon Coaker MP // Neil Coyle MP // David Crausby MP // Jon Cruddas MP // Judith Cummins MP // Gower // Grantham & Stamford // Gravesham // Great Yarmouth // Halesowen & Rowley Regis // Halifax // Halton Jim Cunningham MP // Gloria De Piero MP // Michael Dugher MP // Paul Farrelly MP // Rob Flello MP // // Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse // Harborough // Harrow East // Hartlepool // Havant // Hemsworth // Colleen Fletcher MP // Vicky Foxcroft MP // Roger Godsiff MP // Louise Haigh MP // Harry Harpham MP // Hertford & Stortford // Hertsmere // Hornchurch & Upminster // Jarrow // Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley // Kingston Sue Hayman MP // Stephen Hepburn MP // Imran Hussain MP // Kevan Jones MP // Helen Jones MP // Upon Hull North // Kingswood // Leeds East // Leeds North West // Leeds West // Leicester East // Leicester Barbara Keeley MP // Ian Lavery MP // Emma Lewell-Buck MP // Clive Lewis MP // Rebecca Long-Bailey MP // South // Leicester West // Lewisham, Deptford // Linlithgow // Makerfield // Mansfield // Merthyr Tydfil & Ian Lucas MP // Justin Madders MP // Khalid Mahmood MP // Shabana Mahmood MP // Rob Marris MP // Rhymney // Mid Fife and Glenrothes // Midlothian North and Musselburgh // Morecambe & Lunesdale // Motherwell Chris Matheson MP // Stephen McCabe MP // Andy McDonald MP // Conor McGinn MP // Alan Meale MP // and Wishaw // Newcastle-Under-Lyme // Newport East // Normanton, Pontefract & Castleford // North East Fife // Ian Mearns MP // Grahame Morris MP // Lisa Nandy MP // Kate Osamor MP // Jess Phillips MP // North East Hampshire // North Norfolk // North Shropshire // North Swindon // North West Hampshire // Lucy Powell MP // Rachel Reeves MP // Geoffrey Robinson MP // Naz Shah MP // Virendra Sharma MP // Northampton North // Northampton South // Norwich North // Norwich South // Old Bexley & Sidcup // Oldham Paula Sheriff MP // Dennis Skinner MP // Ruth Smeeth MP // Jeff Smith MP // Nick Smith MP // John Spellar MP West & Royton // Paisley // Pendle // Portsmouth South // Preston // Redditch // Renfrewshire South // // Jo Stevens MP // Mark Tami MP // David Winnick MP // Iain Wright MP // Keith Vaz MP // Val Vaz MP // Richmond Park // Romford // Ruislip, Northwood & Pinner // Saffron Walden // Salford & Eccles // Scarborough & Whitby // Scunthorpe // Sheffield, Brightside & Hillsborough // Sittingbourne & Sheppey // Skipton & Ripon // MEPs backing Tom Sleaford & North Hykeham // Slough // South Basildon & East Thurrock // South Derbyshire // South Ribble // // Afzal Khan MEP // Claude Moraes MEP // David Martin MEP // Derek Vaughan MEP // Glenis Willmott MEP // South Suffolk // South West Norfolk // Southport // St Austell & Newquay // St Helens North // Stockton North // Jude Kirton-Darling MEP // Neena Gill MEP // Richard Howitt MEP // Siôn Simon MEP // Stoke-on-Trent Central // Stoke-on-Trent South // Sunderland Central // Thirsk & Malton // Thornbury & Yate // Twickenham // Wansbeck // Warley // Warrington North // Warwick & Leamington // Washington & Sunderland West // Wealden // West Bromwich East // West Ham // West Lancashire // Wolverhampton North East // Affiliates backing Tom Wolverhampton South East // Wolverhampton South West // Workington // Worsley & Eccles South // Wrexham // Unite the Union // NUM // ASLEF // Socialist Health Association Wycombe // Wyre Forest // Yeovil // 2 Tom Watson 3 Support for Tom NORMA SAYS TOM IS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR DEPUTY Photograph: Sean Michael Cllr Norma Stephenson OBE is a healthcare assistant and a former President of Unison. She is a serving Labour councillor in Stockton-on-Tees and a lifelong union activist. She was Chair of Labour’s national ruling executive, the NEC, and MESSAGE TO YOU Chair of Labour’s national women, race and equality committee. Norma has also known Tom for many years and she is backing his Deputy Leadership bid. FROM TOM That’s my mum in the picture opposite. She’s disabled now and finds it hard to speak, though that hardly seems to have dented her formidable ability to make her presence She said: “I have known Tom for many years and I think the She adds: “Tom is a thoughtful person who stands up for felt. job of Deputy Leader is perfect for him. He is open, honest what he believes in. He never changes, no matter who he and fearless. But he is supportive too. When I was chair of is talking to or what company he’s in. He loves spending I learned my Labour values from her, folding leaflets as a the National Executive Committee he was always on hand time with Labour party members but he is comfortable child round our kitchen table in Kidderminster. She taught to offer advice and I was extremely grateful to count him as around people from every background or walk of life. me that the measure of us all as individuals is how well we a friend as well as a colleague. I think that’s important and it shows that he is always true look after other people. And that the measures of a good to himself. There’s no-one I’d rather see as deputy.” society are fairness, equality and decency, at least as much as growth and prosperity. Norma says Tom reminds her of a senior Labour leader They choose to call that chaos: I say it’s the beginning who served the party for many years – former deputy Tom says: Those Labour values have never changed. They’re still of the fightback. A quarter of a million individual party Prime Minister John Prescott. “Tom shares many of the “WE NEED MORE WOMEN IN OUR PARTY” what starkly divides us from the Tories, whose only calculus members collectively shaping the party’s destiny in this qualities John Prescott had in abundance. Like John, Tom of success is money, regardless of how it’s distributed. way is exactly the kind of people-powered politics that can would be loyal to our leader, whoever he or she is, and Labour is the party of heroes and heroines. Women have lead us back to Downing Street. Indeed, it is the only route. I’ve spent my life since that Kidderminster childhood offer them protection in difficult times as well as candid always played a pivotal role in our movement and we have fighting and campaigning to make those values real. For Whoever the new leader is, I will back them 100%. feedback when it’s required. That is something a deputy hundreds of female councillors who fight for Labour values me, that’s what politics is. It’s the process of translating our has to do with tact and diplomacy”. every day. But the truth is there aren’t enough of them. And if you extend me the privilege, I’d like to fortify our socialist beliefs into policy and law, making a difference in The number of Labour local government leaders who are leader as their deputy. It’s a job I think I have the skills and whatever way we can to people’s lives. And she says party members should vote for the person women is also far too low. I am determined to change that. the experience to do really well. This booklet explains why who they believe is the best person for the job, regardless We have dramatically increased the number of women That’s why I ended up taking on Rupert