UK 13 June 2015 Over 100 local councillors endorse Stella Creasy as deputy leader of the Labour party 100 local councillors have endorsed Stella Creasy in an open letter to the New Statesman. Stella Creasy is a candidate in Labour's deputy leadership election. Photo: Flickr Sign UpGet the New Statesman's Morning Call email. Sign-up Over 100 local Labour councillors have endorsed Stella Creasy as deputy leader in a open letter to the New Statesman. Describing the election as a "devastating defeat", the councillors describe Creasy as a "campaigner-in-chief", highlighting her success in tackling legal loan sharks, building a "campaign force which can change the law even from the opposition backbenches". The councillors, who represent councils across the United Kingdom and come from across the party, have no nominating power at this stage, despite the fact that local councillors are Labour's largest funders - donations from councillors outstrip even those of the trade unions - but will provide a boost to Creasy's hopes of securing the 35 nominations she requires to make the ballot - she is 15 short having collected 20 so far. Nominations close at midday on 17 June. The full letter is below: We are Labour councillors representing unitary, parish, town, district, borough, city and county councils across England, Scotland and Wales. Our party suffered a devastating defeat at May's election. We must learn the lessons from that defeat and ensure that it never happens again. To do that we must move on from the battles of the past and look ahead to the challenges of the future. In order to change the country, we must first change our party. We must rebuild the Labour Party from the ground up as a national movement, not just a party machine. The outcome of the election showed that we can't simply rely on old methods to deliver the right result in 2020. We must embrace new ways of doing things, invest in new technology and online campaigning techniques We need a deputy leader who understands this. Someone who lives the role of 'Campaigner-in-Chief'. We believe Stella Creasy is that person. Stella's campaign to tackle legal loan sharks showed that we can build a campaign force which can change the law even from the opposition backbenches. We must harness and grow that potential across the country - then, imagine what we could do together in government. Stella has been a councillor and a Mayor. She believes that those of us in local government can play a greater role in leading the resurgence that we so badly need. There is a huge opportunity for campaigning councillors, active in our communities, to be at the vanguard of change. We can achieve change from the grassroots as well as the green benches. Our members are our best asset. They are people who believe fairness, prosperity and opportunity is open to all, not just those with the money or means to buy success. And people who are willing to stand up and defend this principle in their own communities. 50,000 new members have joined our ranks since the election. We must not ignore them until the next time we need doorstep fodder. Too many people now see politics as a closed shop, for the few not the many. That means we miss out on their ideas and actions as they get put off taking part. Stella wants to want to change that. She represents the future of our party, and a new approach to politics which we so badly need if we are to win again. Signed, Cllr Saima Mahmud, Waltham Forest Cllr Simon Blackburn, Council Leader, Blackpool Cllr Ronnie Nicholson, Leader, Dumfries and Galloway Labour Group Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader, Blackpool Cllr Tim Dwelly, Leader, Cornwall Labour Group Cllr Adam Hug, Leader, Westminster Labour Group Cllr Stephen Cowan, Council Leader, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Kevin Peel, Manchester Cllr Doug James, Darlaston South, Walsall Cllr Craig Hannaway, Redcar and Cleveland Cllr James Adams, Glasgow City Cllr Sean Morton, Moray Cllr Emily Benn, Croydon Cllr Richard Johnson, Cambridge City Cllr Carl Johnson, North Tyneside Cllr Alice Smart, Leeds City Cllr Josh Mills, Ashby Cllr Jonny Morris, Plymouth Cllr Masood Ahmed, Waltham Forest Cllr Karen Bellamy, Waltham Forest Cllr Liaquat Ali, Waltham Forest Cllr Alistair Strathern, Waltham Forest Cllr Raja Akhtar, Waltham Forest Cllr Nadeem Ali, Waltham Forest Cllr Shameen Highfield, Waltham Forest Cllr Johar Khan, Waltham Forest Cllr Ahsan Khan, Waltham Forest Cllr Terry Wheeler, Waltham Forest Cllr Marie Pye, Waltham Forest Cllr Sally Littlejohn, Waltham Forest Cllr Asim Mahmood, Waltham Forest Cllr Anna Birley, Lambeth Cllr Fred Cowell, Lambeth Cllr Clare Holland, Lambeth Cllr Martin Tiedemann, Lambeth Cllr Roxanne Mashari, Brent Cllr James Denselow, Brent Cllr David Daniels, Torfaen Cllr Jon Harvey, Buckingham Cllr Maxi Martin, Merton Cllr Laura Price, Oxfordshire County Cllr Monica Lennon, South Lanarkshire Cllr Lynsey Hamilton, South Lankarkshire Cllr Ged Killen, South Lanarkshire Cllr Vince Maple, Medway Cllr Jonathan McShane, Hackney Cllr Louisa Thomson, Hackney Cllr James Denselow, Hackney Cllr Ian Rathbone, Hackney Cllr Helen Dennis, Southwark Cllr Kevin Robinson, Southend-on-Sea Cllr Ed Mayne, Hounslow Cllr Colin Smyth, Dumfries and Galloway Cllr Kiran Ramchandani, Harrow Cllr Lynsey Hamilton, Clydesdale West Cllr Altany Craik, Fife Cllr Nick Crofts, Liverpool Cllr Patrick Hurley, Liverpool Cllr Gary Millar, Liverpool Cllr Emily Spurrell, Liverpool Cllr Ann O'Byrne, Liverpool Cllr Naushabah Khan, Medway Cllr Andy Kinsey, Tameside Cllr Tom Ross, Trafford Cllr Nigel Todd, Newcastle upon Tyne Cllr Vijay Singh Riyait, Leicester Cllr Rowan Draper, Stafford Cllr Kate Hooker, Ashford Cllr Maggie Barradell Brighton and Hove Cllr Julie Cattell Brighton & Hove Cllr Nikki Bond, Sheffield Cllr Peter Smith, Crawley Cllr Barry Kirby, Gloucestershire - Deputy Labour Group Leader Cllr Steven Thomas, Coventry Cllr Karen Jewitt, Croydon Cllr Stephen Smith, Cheshire West & Chester Cllr Carole Baume, Milton Keynes Cllr Phil Harris, Halton Cllr Adam Langleben, Barnet Cllr Craig Jones, Burton Upon Trent Cllr Andy Hull, Islington Cllr Emma Hoddinott, Rotherham Cllr Luke Raikes, Manchester Cllr Kate Chappell, Manchester Cllr Josie Teubler, Manchester Cllr Paul Lynch, St Helens Cllr Lee Holmes, Gateshead Cllr Steve Hughes, Rossendale Cllr Eamonn O'Brien, Bury Cllr Will Hughes, Warrington Cllr Keith Robson, Edinburgh City Cllr Sue Macmillan, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Max Schmid, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Rory Vaughn, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Larry Culhane, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Vivienne Lukey, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Ali Hashem, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Adam Connell, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Sue Fennimore, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Andrew Jones, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Ben Coleman, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Natalia Perez-Shepherd, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Caroline Needham, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Vivienne Lukey, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Elaine Chumnery, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Hannah Barlow, Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Claire Spencer, Birmingham City Cllr Ruth Werbiski, Buckinghamshire › How an upstart Turkish party blocked Erdogan's push for power Stephen Bush is political editor of the New Statesman. 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