120 Labour councillors: why we’re supporting Yvette Cooper for leader

Good Society

We believe Yvette is the only candidate who can reach out to all corners of the country

Today, council and Labour group leaders from across the country will get the chance to put questions to our four party leadership contenders at the local government hustings in Harrogate.

Ahead of this, as representatives of nations and regions across the UK, we wanted to set out why we believe Yvette Cooper is the only choice to lead Labour into the 2020 General Election.

The scale of our defeat on 7 May left all of us reeling. As councillors, many of us lost respected, talented colleagues as voters turned away from Labour. They felt unable to put their trust in us.

And turning things around, so we can make a real difference to people’s lives once again and return to government in five years’ time, is not going to be an easy task.

Firstly, we need a leader who can reach out to every corner of the country – someone who is as comfortable at a meeting with businesses as they are at the school gate, community centre or in a working men’s club.

As happy reading stories and playing with children at a primary school in Manchester as she is discussing small business growth in Rugby, or holding meetings with people on immigration in Thurrock.

Yvette was born in Scotland, but brought up in Hampshire. She represents a constituency in Yorkshire, her family is from the northern coalfields and her children go to school in London.

She is the candidate that can best reach out and appeal to those communities in every region who did not feel they could support Labour at the last election.

Yvette is also a great friend of Labour in local government and is well aware it is now the first line of defence for the communities we represent. We’ve been impressed and enthused by Yvette’s vision for and commitment to local government and greater powers at a local level.

Secondly, we need someone with strength and experience, who can take the Tories on from Day 1. Yvette led a £100 billion government department when she was secretary of state for Work and Pensions.
She was one of the ministers who helped roll out Sure Start centres, which have benefited so many children in every part of the country. And she put in place new programmes to help young people into work in the Treasury.
We’ve all seen her tear strips off Theresa May, the home secretary, over the last five years – on her record on violence against women and girls, the support offered to refugees, their failed net migration target and their devastating police cuts. And we know she could make mincemeat of David Cameron and George Osborne too.

Thirdly, we need someone with fresh ideas that meet the modern challenges we face. Yvette is the only candidate with plans to create the jobs of the future and harness the strength of the digital revolution for Britain.

She has called for a revolution in childcare, with universal free childcare for young children to give parents more choice about when to go back to work. And she has committed to making tackling child poverty a core mission of the Labour Party in the next decade.

Yvette has the determination and strength to rebuild business and bring opportunities to develop start-ups and new technology enterprises not just to our major cities, but to our towns too.

As well as demonstrating her clear vision for the future, she is not afraid to stand up and shout about our achievements as a Labour Party – and is the clear choice to lead us back to a place where we can continue to build on those and make a difference to the lives of those who need a Labour government.

Signatories:

Muhammed Afzal
Syed Enam Ahammad
Uzma Ahmed
Mohammed Aikhlaq
Azhar Ali
Mohammed Amran
Gurdial Atwal
Gurpal Atwal
George Ayre
Caroline Badley
Ralph Barker Barker
Christopher Baron
Sohail Bashir
Christine Bennett
John Bevan
Judi Billing
Elaine Blezard
Peter Box
Philip Brightmore
Ryan Case
Daniel Chapman
Tristan chatfield
Adam Clarke
Virginia Cleaver
Jon Clempner
John Clough
Jackie Connal
Alex Crawford
Yvonne Crewe
Nosheen Dad
Basharat Dad
Matthew Daniel
Mohammed Darwood
Len Davies
Deborah Davies
Angela Davies
Neil Dawson
Alex Diner
Kevin Duffy
Jayne Dunn
Gwynfor Edwards
Jennifer Evans
Adam Farrell
Richard Ferris
Julian Fulbrook
Emma Garland
Joy Garner
Martin Garner
Arthur Geary
Preet Gill
Barrie Grunewald
Inderjit Gugnani Singh
Danny Hassell
Joanne Hepworth
Cindy Hinds
Helen Hollis
Adam Hug
Mahmood Hussain
Mohammed Idrees
Zafar Iqbal
Ziaul Islam
Yvonne Jardine
Adam Jogee
Chris Kennedy
Mariam Khan
Ansar Ali Khan
James Lewis
Keith Linnecor
Adrian Lowe
Tim Lunnon
Vijay Luthra
Pat McFall
Liz McShane
Kim McGuiness
David Mellen
Jewel Miah
Peter Mitchell
Bernadette Mooney
Lyn Moore
Steve Munby
Lana Orr
John O’Shea
Lian Pate
Matthew Patrick
Mark Pengelly
Barry Phillipson
Jonathan Pryor
Marie Pye
Jennifer Raynor
Leon Reefe
Lorna Reith
Karen Rowling
Paul Sandars
Kath Scott
Rosalind Scott
Shafique Shah
Mark Shurmer
Alice Smart
Emily Spurrell
Graham Stokes
Danielle Stone
Sam Stopp
June Tandy
Sharon Taylor
Aminur Thalukdar
Alun Thomas
Ben Thomas
Phil Tye
Graham Vickery
Christopher Vobe
Neil Walshaw
Alan Wassell
Brian White
Paul Williams
Jill Wright
Charles Wright
Jonas Yonga
Julie Young
Tim Young
John Tanner

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20 Responses to “120 Labour councillors: why we’re supporting Yvette Cooper for leader”

  1. Selohesra

    Definitely go for a women this time – makes Dave’s Flashman routine go down badly at PMQs. I don’t think any of the candidates are credible PMs though but she could certainly hold the fort until someone better came along

  2. Jacko

    Do you really think voters will see her as Prime Minister, will mentally place her on the doorstep of No 10, shaking hands with the US president, hosting G7 talks, etc?

    A Prime Minister called Yvette. Yeah, right.

  3. LesThompson

    i have no doubt yvette Cooper his a very capable woman, and weill in time become a labour leader, but not to day, for me she as. Failed the test i set at the start of the campaign; and in this extensive CV she hasn’t mentioned the word Council Housing once or the need for re establishing the revenue streams of our past; utility’s we have lost as a nation we need desperately to rebuild their revenue stream. This we our to once again develop. NO” I do not mean revitalizing old national industries unless we can sustain them. no that which has gone; but invest in new greener one’s , break the cycle of capitalist greed and oppression yes, Council housing was the test if the next leader can’t even speak the words, then she isn’t going to deliver it revenue streams thay offer this is why i will be backing jeremy Corbyn for leader of the labour party

  4. Judi Billing

    I genuinely don’t understand what points are being made here. Are there particular names suitable for his political office and others not? I have no difficulty picturing Yvette in any high political office debating and shaking hands with anyone, so please do explain if there are serious considerations here. Many thanks

  5. Judi Billing

    I meant high political office. Apologies for the typo.

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