Solihull MP Lorely Burt has announced that she is to stand for the Deputy Leadership of the Liberal Democrats. The post became vacant when previous incumbent Simon Hughes became a Minister last month.
Lorely has secured the nominations of 24 of the required 29 MPs.
Lorely has a background in business and is described as having broken many glass ceilings during her career, including being the first women to chair the Liberal Democrats’ Parliamentary Party.
She said:
With me as deputy leader, local people would have a stronger voice than ever. They’d know that if they told me about a problem on their doorstep on Friday, I’d be knocking on doors about it at the highest levels of government on Monday.
I would also stand up for the Liberal Democrat Party’s core values of fairness and economic responsibility, which the Conservatives and Labour are incapable of delivering on their own.
As we draw the battle lines for the next General Election against both the other major parties, I want to see the Liberal Democrats continuing to deliver more jobs, lower taxes for ordinary workers, and a fairer start in life through free school meals and help with childcare.
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19 Comments
Quite right to!
Great news!
Oddly enough, I tipped her for the deputy leadership last time there was a vacancy, in 2010: http://www.scottish-liberal.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/cable-resigns-as-deputy-leader.html
@The Voice
“Lorely has secured the nominations of 24 of the required 29 MPs.”
I don’t understand that statement.
1. Does it mean that she still needs to be nominated by another 5 MPs?
2. Assuming MPs can each only nominate one candidate, then if the nominations of 29 are needed then logically only one candidate can stand. Is that correct?
Simon, I am assuming that if you are nominated by over half of the MPs, there does not need to be a ballot. It is not entirely clear to me either how the process works.
From what I remember when Vince Cable stood down last time, if there are nominations for more than one candidate then there is a hustings and an election. So I guess that means if the other 5 eligible MPs all nominate Lorely she will be elected unopposed. I might be wrong. Does anyone have the Parliamentary Party Standing Orders? Are they in the public domain?
Good News, she would make a great Deputy Leader.
@Kevin
Agreed. I just can’t understand why she “requires” the nominations of 29 MPs. I would have thought you ought to require something around 5 to 10 MPs to nominate you for the contest.
If she ends up being successful it sounds like good news.
What a pity Sarah Teather is no longer around to stand as our deputy leader. As a committed LibDem, I was a great admirer of Sarah and I think she would have made a fantastic deputy to Nick Clegg. Sarah always projected immense maturity as she unfailingly stood up for our core party values. I miss Sarah greatly. She put in magnificent performances on “Question Time” on several occasions and displayed a massive intellect and common sense. Sarah had all the qualities needed to be a Lib Dem leader. I will sadly miss Sarah’s contribution to the party.
@Simon Shaw – I think the point being made (although not worded brilliantly) is simply that if more than half the MPs nominate one candidate, then in effect that’s that – as if they also then vote for the candidate they’ve nominated, it’s impossible for anyone else to win.
Am I the only person who found thisanoddstatement ; –
” With me as deputy leader, local people would have a stronger voice than ever. They’d know that if they told me about a problem on their doorstep on Friday, I’d be knocking on doors about it at the highest levels of government on Monday. ”
I think I know what she is trying to say. But another thought that sprang to mind was that she does not work at weekends..
If someone brings you a problem on Friday – why not act on it on Friday ? Why wait three days ?
@JohnTilley – I imagine this was a press release for local press that has been picked up by the eagled eyed LDV team….
Lorely has in fact secured the *support* of 24 MPs. A nomination is a different thing: you need five nominations to stand for deputy leader.
You can read the original press release here: http://lorelyburt.org.uk/en/article/2014/757024/mp-lorely-s-bid-to-be-first-woman-lib-dem-deputy-leader
good luck to loredyly-sarah is too socially conserv`ztive to represent the vciews of the maintsream lib dem MP or member-
Thanks, Jack (and Mark).
That sounds a lot more logical.
@JohnTilley
“If someone brings you a problem on Friday – why not act on it on Friday ? Why wait three days ?”
Rather a silly question, surely.
Lorely referred specifically to people telling her about a problem on their doorstep on a Friday. If she is anything like us that would be something she would do within the 4.00pm to 7.00pm timeframe.
The idea of trying to contact a government department at (say) 4.30 or 5.00 on a Friday afternoon is an interesting one. Good luck is all I’d say!
Good Luck to Lorely
Gordon Birtwhistle has now put his name forward: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/burnley/10922175.Burnley_MP_Gordon_Birtwistle_puts_his_name_forward_for_Commons/
So we seem likely to have a contested election.
Although there were arguments the other way in the early days of the Parliament, I cannot now understand any merit whatsoever in our ‘Deputy Leader’ being anyone other than the second most senior Lib Dem Minister in the Coalition. That is not Lorely.