REBECCA LONG BAILEY’s bid for the Labour leadership has received a boost with endorsement from Labour for a Green New Deal.

The grassroots Labour campaign group asked all leadership candidates to answer questions for its “climate scorecard” and ranked Ms Long Bailey first based on her answers and her record, with 80 out of a possible 100 points.

Rivals Sir Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy received 51 and 39 points respectively. The scorecards mark candidates across 10 key areas of a Green New Deal including public ownership, migration and universal basic services. The candidates were assessed on the basis of their manifestos, contributions to hustings, answers to LGND’s five key questions and their track records, resulting in an overall score out of 100.

The group said that Ms Long Bailey “performed particularly strongly on promoting public ownership, creating green jobs and working with trade unions, supporting access to universal services and communicating the Green New Deal to a variety of audiences.”

In a separate survey, Green New Deal members from across the country also voted overwhelmingly in favour of endorsing Ms Long Bailey, who as shadow business secretary was the architect of many of Labour’s green policies at the last election, such as its pledge to bring the National Grid back into public ownership and task it with delivering a more sustainable energy model for Britain.

Lauren Townsend, spokesperson for Labour for a Green New Deal said: “It’s encouraging that all three leadership contenders are supportive of the Green New Deal – this transformative agenda can unite Labour’s electoral coalition, rebuild our communities and tackle the existential climate threat.

“Rebecca Long Bailey stands out as a Green New Deal champion for her understanding of the scale and urgency of the transition we need, and her commitment to building a socialist climate programme rooted in people’s lives.

“In the year the UK hosts COP26, however, all candidates must go further in acting on our responsibility to support those on the front lines of the climate crisis. The coming decades will see millions forced to flee their homes by fires, floods, storms and droughts. The next Labour leader must stand unwaveringly for migrant and climate justice – at home and abroad, there’s much more work to be done.”