Christians on the Left statement on election of Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner

Labour Leadership Election - 6 April 2020

Contact: Stephen Beer, Political Communications Officer, 07881 953852 stephenbeer@stephenbeer.com

Christians on the Left welcomes the election of Keir Starmer as the new Leader of the Labour Party and the election of Angela Rayner as Deputy Leader.

Their election means Labour can now get on with the task of providing a credible Opposition to the government, working with it to help the fight against the coronavirus but fulfilling its constitutional duty to scrutinise and propose alternative ideas.

Keir expressed strong support for Christians on the Left in his statement to our members. He recognised that Christian Socialism is a fundamental part of the Labour Party’s history. He welcomed our ‘Love your CLP’ campaign as an example of the type of culture he wants to encourage in the Party and committed to working with Christians on the Left and other faith groups. We welcome his commitment to root out anti-Semitism in the Party.

Keir Starmer added:

“I also want to ensure that Christians on the Left’s activism is drawn upon in Labour’s work in opposition. In particular, Christians on the Left’s recent campaigns on climate change and poverty, ethical banking, tax evasion or arms sales must also be priority issues for Labour to tackle.”

We are looking forward to working closely with Keir and Angela, and the new leadership team, to help create a fairer and more equal society.

Our thanks and prayers also go out to the candidates who did not win. They contributed to a constructive and comradely election process and we hope they have time to recover and refresh before they play their part in the campaign for a Labour government.

End.

Christians on the Left is the organisation for Christians on the left of politics. It is affiliated to the Labour Party and counts MPs, peers and councillors amongst its members.