MP Lisa Nandy, with her Indian roots, has emerged as a frontrunner for Labour leader, as the party looks to recover after its devastating losses to the Conservatives last week. The 40-year-old who was born and bred in Manchester in 1979 to Dipak Nandy and Louise Byers, could be the next Labour leader, as the MP reportedly announced that she was “seriously considering” running for Jeremy Corbyn's role. She joins a growing list of prospective candidates, and it looks increasingly likely a woman will lead the Labour party in 2020.
Lisa's father Dipak Nandy was Chairman of the Leicester Campaign for Racial Equality from 1964 to 1967. Dipak was born in Kolkata, India, in a Bengali family on 21 May 1936, and arrived in Britain in March 1956 and was offered a place in the English Literature Department at the University of Leeds. He was Director of the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination Summer Projects in 1966 and 1967; a member of the Information Panel of the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants; and Secretary of Equal Rights. He left academia in 1968 to set up and run the Runnymede Trust of which he was the founder-Director 1968-1973. He was a member of the BBC's Immigrants Advisory Committee and the Council of the Institute of Race Relations.
In 1972 he married his second wife Louise Byers (daughter of the late Lord Byers, Leader of the Liberals in the House of Lords for 19 years). Their youngest daughter, Lisa Nandy was born in 1979. Her first gig in the Labour party was as a councillor in Hammersmith and Fulham, before she was selection for Wigan in the 2010 General Election. Over this weekend said that she wanted to help rebuild the Labour party that let down constituents in northern leave-backing seats such as Wigan.
In an article in Daily Mirror, hinting at Labour party's failure this election, Nandy said, “The growing disconnect between the Labour party and our heartlands was brought into devastating focus (last) week. People in communities like mine have been trying to tell us that things aren't working and they've been trying to tell us for a very long time. On Thursday night, those voters delivered the message across the country.”
Nandy was one of the few Labour MPs in the north of England to retain her seat in last week's disastrous election for Labour - with a majority of 6,700 votes.
She suffered a 15.5 per cent swing as the Brexit Party scooped up an extra 13 per cent of the vote, and the Tories also ate into her vote.
Though the MP voted to remain in the EU, but has been sympathetic to her Brexit backing constituents- perhaps a reason for her victory.
After Corbyn announced he would step down following the drubbing, the race has begun to find a successor. Many MPs are pressing for a Northern MP who can understand the party's heartlands to take over. Nandy placed herself as a leader who would take the concentration of power in the Labour party away from Central London and back to regional areas.
She reportedly told the BBC she would make it her mission to "bring Labour back to (the people)."
In her victory speech as she won her constituency, she said, "I have listened and I have heard you and I will make it my mission from this day forward, to bring the Labour party home to you.
"There is no reason why decision making is concentrated in Central London... our regional offices need to be more empowered to make more decisions.”
Nandy, is said to already have gained support from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and one-time deputy leadership contender Jon Cruddas who have both joined her campaign team. She has also reportedly been in touch with Unite, GMB, CWU and other unions too.
