Labour leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey has vowed to “shake up” the way Government works and put power into the hands of voters as she launches her campaign to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.

The shadow business secretary will set out her vision for the party’s “path to power” in a speech in Manchester, warning that the British state needs a “seismic shock” to open it to the people.

Ms Long-Bailey will promise to end the “gentlemen’s club of politics” by devolving power out of Westminster – while promising to introduce a “Green New Deal” that unites Labour heartlands.

“Where I grew up, Westminster, even London, felt like a million miles away,” the shadow cabinet minister will say.

“The story of the last few years is that many people feel there is something wrong with their laws being drafted hundreds of miles away by a distant and largely unaccountable bureaucratic elite in Brussels.

“But I’ll be honest, Westminster didn’t feel much closer, and it still doesn’t today.

“That’s why I want to shake up the way Government works and deliver a clear message to voters: we will put power where it belongs – in your hands.

“The British state needs a seismic shock, to prise it open at all levels to the people – their knowledge, their skills, their demands.”

POLITICS Labour
(PA Graphics)

Ms Long-Bailey will say “proper democracy” takes power away from the “offshore bank account and places it on the ballot paper, so workers can have more and chief executives less, and we can tackle the climate crisis with a Green New Deal that unites all of Labour’s heartlands”.

“We will end the gentlemen’s club of politics and we will be setting out plans to go further by devolving power out of Westminster to a regional and local level.”

She is expected to vow to fight for “world-class” public services, the rewilding and restoration of landscapes and a democratic economy “so that we all share in the tremendous wealth that human ingenuity and hard work can guarantee us all”.

And she will say: “The Labour Party now has four years to reconnect with the people of our country, build a powerful movement to raise up their demands and be the force that helps them take charge.”

Ms Long-Bailey scored a significant boost in her quest to become Labour leader after securing the backing of members of the Momentum campaign group on Thursday.