Bridget Phillipson vows urgent child poverty action and warns against deputy 'throwing stones'

Labour deputy leadership hopeful Bridget Phillipson has pledged to tackle child poverty as a matter of “urgency” and vowed to be a strong voice for members at the cabinet table.

The Education Secretary shared how her own experiences motivated her to end child poverty, and reaffirmed her commitment to ending the cruel two-child benefit cap. Speaking with The Mirror at the Multibank in Fife during a visit with former PM Gordon Brown, Ms Phillipson pointed to her record in expanding free school meals, but admitted things must move faster with more children falling into poverty each year.

In a warning to members considering voting for her rival Lucy Powell, the Houghton and Sunderland South MP also urged against having a deputy “throwing stones from the outside”.

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READ MORE: Two-child benefit limit impact 'devastating' on kids and we'll 'sort it', Bridget Phillipson says

Party members begin voting this week to elect a new deputy leader, with Ms Phillipson facing off with Ms Powell, who was sacked as Commons Leader in the reshuffle.

Discussing her experiences of poverty growing up in Washington, in Tyne and Wear, she said: “Growing up, I didn't always have it easy so I know what it feels like to grow up in poverty.

“Not just the lack of material goods, but the sense of powerlessness and hopelessness that families can feel.

“We've got four and a half million children in our country today who are experiencing that, and it doesn't have to be that way.

“Governments can make choices to lift children out of poverty. I made the decision to expand free school meals to half a million more children that will make a huge difference.

“But there's a lot more that we need to do as a government and that's why I've been clear that the two child limit has to be on the table because we see the impact it's having on families. “There is a real urgency about this because every year that passes more children are moving into poverty.”

Ms Phillipson explained part of this was education, describing how she had to fight to ensure VAT exemption was removed from private schools.

She said: “I had to stand up to the vested interests around private schools, tax breaks, there was a lot of opposition to that, but it was the right thing to do because it's allowing us to invest in a better state education and put more teachers into our classrooms.

“That's why it was the right decision to end the private school tax break, to put that money into our state schools and we should be proud of our record and what we're achieving together.”

Part of this, the senior cabinet minister explained, was being “clearer” about Labour’s message.

She said: “We do need to tell a better story about what we're doing as a party, and how we are the only party on the side of working people.”

The former charity worker also argued having a deputy leader inside the cabinet would help unite the party.

She said: “I always think it is more effective to have those fierce debates behind closed doors, because divided parties don’t win elections. There is significant risk here of disunity, if we don't get this right.

“I’ll be in the room when those decisions are being made, at the cabinet table, and all the meetings that happen across government, able to push the case for where Labour should be stronger and should be bolder, I won’t be throwing stones from the outside.

“The choice members have is, do they want unity, more of the good Labour policies that we’ve delivered already, and a deputy leader who can get things done in government, like Angela Rayner did, like John Prescott did. Have they considered the risk that comes with having a deputy leader who is not in cabinet, which is highly unusual in the history of the Labour party.”

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