Labour MPs elect woman chair

Jean Corston is a former paliamentary aide to David Blunkett

Labour MPs have elected the first woman to act as their "shop steward" representing the views and concerns of backbenchers to the party leadership.

Jean Corston MP won 183 votes in the ballot to become chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party, beating former Foreign Office Minister Tony Lloyd, who polled 167 votes.

The Bristol East MP said her ambition was to ensure backbenchers had an effective means of communicating with the government.

David Blunkett's parliamentary private secretary before the last election, Ms Corston's win was seen as a victory for the Blair loyalist side.

After her win she said: "Government and backbenchers march to the same tune."

She takes over from Clive Soley MP, who at the end of last year only narrowly won re-election to the post.

He had faced criticism from his fellow MPs for appearing more concerned with representing the party leadership's views to backbenchers, rather than the other way round.

Mind the gulf

Of the 412 Labour backbenchers entitled to vote, 351 took part in Tuesday's poll - a turnout of 85.2%. One ballot paper was spoiled.

After her success, Ms Corston said it was important for the party and the government to value the contribution made by backbenchers.

"Backbenchers are our most effective campaigners and best early warning system, and we should always remember that," she said.

Ms Corston said it was important to ensure that a gulf did not develop between the back and front benches.

Policy rows ahead

During this parliament delivering improvements in public services would be the government's top priority, and backbenchers shared that ambition, she said.

"These issues are very much on people's minds, and we want to be able to go into the next election pointing to further success."

But there have been serious rumblings of discontent among Labour MPs over the government's yet-to-be detailed plans to encourage greater private sector participation in the public services.

Among other highly controversial issues on which Ms Corston will have to negotiate back- and frontbench relations is the US's "son of Star Wars" plans for a missile defence system.

Ms Corston said: "There are lots of issues Parliamentary Labour Party members are concerned about, not least National Missile Defence."

Although Ms Corston said she was proud to have become the first woman PLP chair, she said that she had a wide range of support within the party.

"I suspect that the support I got was from right across the Parliamentary Labour Party - obviously I didn't win this on the woman's vote alone."