Bridget Phillipson has been appointed chair of the Labour party, putting her at the forefront of the party's preparations for the next general election. The former education secretary succeeds Anna Turley, who was moved to a ministerial role in the Home Office after last week's government reshuffle.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Phillipson would play a vital role in ensuring the party was 'match fit' for the next election. 'I am delighted Bridget has accepted this role,' he said. Phillipson said she would put 'Labour values and the voices of our movement at the heart of government'.
Phillipson was replaced as education secretary by Lucy Powell, a key Burnham ally, but retains a cabinet post as women and equalities minister. She had overseen a landmark overhaul of special educational needs provision and the Labour policy of applying 20% VAT to private school fees from 2025, a move that made her a target for some on the right.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch recently called Phillipson a 'spiteful class warrior'. Phillipson, who grew up in a low-income single-parent household in Washington, Tyne and Wear, said she would wear the label with pride if it meant lifting children out of poverty. She has previously argued that abolishing the two-child benefit cap would be the most cost-effective way to help disadvantaged young people.
