“Labour is back” – Caerphilly MP responds to Keir Starmer’s victory

The Member of Parliament for Caerphilly has welcomed Sir Keir Starmer’s victory in the Labour leadership election.

Wayne David MP, who supported Mr Starmer’s campaign and has served under Jeremy Corbyn as Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement, said he is delighted with the result.  

Mr Starmer, 57, defeated Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy in a ballot of party members and other supporters.

The new party leader became an MP in 2015 after leading the Crown Prosecution Service and won in the first round of voting with more than 50% of ballots cast.

Mr David told Caerphilly Observer: “I strongly supported Keir in this campaign and he was nominated by the party here in Caerphilly. I believe he will be a very effective leader of the opposition and will make a great Prime Minister.

“The Labour Party suffered a huge defeat in the 2019 General Election and we need to break with the message that Jeremy Corbyn put to the country. We need to reconnect with people’s realities and aspirations.

“Keir brings incredible experience, a brilliant mind and he is also a really down to earth character who relates well to people. As a leader, he will listen to people and build a team around him who come from across the party.”

The Labour party suffered a record post-war defeat in the 2019 General Election, losing 60 seats, including in traditional Labour heartlands such as North East Wales and County Durham.

Jeremy Corbyn announced he would stand down following the election, with many inside and outside the party holding him and his leadership team responsible for the defeat.

The Labour Party is currently being investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission following allegations of anti-Semitism, and the party’s leadership has received strong criticism from former leaders Tony Blair and Neil Kinnock.

The party also recieved criticism for its position on Brexit, something Starmer was influential in in his role as Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.

Mr David added: “What the Labour party now has to do is reconnect with people and not lecture them on what we think they want, but actually listen to what people are saying.

“We must not present a manifesto that seems unrealistic like the last one, but instead come forward with priorities and policies that people relate to and see is in their interests.

Angela Rayner, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, was elected Labour’s deputy leader in a parallel election.

The new leader’s first role will be appointing a new shadow cabinet, while he will also meet with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson next week to take part in cross-party talks on the ongoing Coronavirus situation.