Burnham appoints Phillipson as Labour Party chair

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Bridget Phillipson as chair of the Labour Party. Phillipson, who is also curate for women and equalities, will work closely with deputy leader Lucy Powell to modernise the party's approach ahead of the next general election. Phillipson and Powell contested the deputy leadership position last year after a contest triggered by Angela Rayner's resignation, with Powell emerging victorious with 54% support from the party membership. Phillipson had been acting head under Sir Keir Starmer, but that role was handed to Powell by Burnham when he appointed his team last week. Announcing Phillipson's appointment, Burnham said she would help the party focus on preparations for a new digital campaigning environment. "She volition play a captious relation successful ensuring the Labour Party is lucifer acceptable for the adjacent election," helium said. She replaces Anna Turley who was made a curate in the Home Office last week. The team, which also includes chief whip Anneliese Midgley, is expected to focus on culture change and to build the infrastructure and policy platform needed by 2029, which is the latest an election can be held. Posting on X, Phillipson said she was honoured to take on the role. "I joined our enactment arsenic a teen and saw archetypal manus the quality a Labour authorities makes," she said. "I'll enactment with members to physique the election-winning instrumentality that sees disconnected Reform [UK] for bully and secures a 2nd Labour term." Welcoming her, Powell said: "Working together, we volition guarantee the enactment continues to pb the mode successful campaigning, with the strongest crushed cognition successful British authorities arsenic we hole for the adjacent wide election."