Bridget Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, has been appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham as chair of the Labour Party. She replaces Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, who was moved last week to the Home Office.
Phillipson was born in Gateshead and educated in Washington and at Oxford. She was elected an MP in 2010.
She was Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities for two years in Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet. She lost the former position when Andy Burnham re-shaped the government but remains Minister for Women and Equalities.
Burnham said Phillipson would help the party focus on preparations for a new digital campaigning environment. “She will play a vital role in ensuring the Labour Party is match fit for the next election,” he said.
Posting on X (as reported by the BBC), Phillipson said she was honoured to take on the role.
“I joined our party as a teenager and saw first-hand the difference a Labour government makes… I’ll work with members to build the election-winning machine that sees off Reform [UK] for good and secures a second Labour term.”
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