TV's Fiona Phillips was Labour's first choice for by-election

7:48am Wednesday 20th February 2013 in News

TV's Fiona Phillips was Labour's first choice for by-election TV's Fiona Phillips was Labour's first choice for by-election

SHE is best known as one of the most famous faces of breakfast television.

Southampton-born Fiona Phillips was accustomed to grilling top politicians as the presenter of hit ITV show GMTV for more than ten years. Now it has emerged that the broadcaster was Labour’s number one choice to contest the Eastleigh by-election.

The party’s candidate, John O’Farrell, continued his campaign yesterday, canvassing voters in the town alongside Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves MP.

But agents from Billy Marsh Associates, the company that represents Ms Phillips, confirmed that Labour leader Ed Miliband contacted her personally about the role, before Mr O’Farrell won the party’s approval.

A Billy Marsh Associates spokesman said that the 52-yearold was approached by Mr Miliband in a bid to make her stand for the Eastleigh seat, but she rejected the offer.

Last night Ms Phillips, who is a Labour supporter, declined to make any further comment.

It is the second time the former Millbrook School pupil has turned down an offer from the Labour Party. She previously rebuffed an invitation from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to become a health minister.

Labour last night issued a brief statement in response to the revelation, but refused to confirm the approach to Ms Phillips.

A party spokesman said: “Labour members in Eastleigh selected the best candidate from a very strong shortlist.”

That candidate was satirist Mr O’Farrell, who was caught in a political storm after claiming in a book that he wished former Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had died in an IRA bomb attack.

Ms Phillips was at the centre of controversy herself last year following remarks made on a return to her former school.

Ms Phillips was the guest speaker at the opening of the £16m Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill in Southampton.

But her comments about life at its predecessor, Millbrook School, which she attended in the 1970s, provoked a furious reaction in the city.

In her speech, Ms Phillips said: “I’m proud to say I went to Millbrook School.

I’m not proud of the education I had there.”

She went on to claim that it was a “school rampant with hormones and no discipline”, which turned her into a “vile teenager”.

 

Comments(19)

Tenderhearts wife says...
8:13am Wed 20 Feb 13

Good for her I have a lot of respect for Fiona and she hasnt let herself be pushed into the Elections by the big guns. As far as her coments on Millbrook school goes She was just being honest about her experience of her time at the school and has no reflection of the performance of the school now. People are way too sensitive, they should acknowledge the positive fact that the school has improved rather than dwell on the fact it wasnt the best in the late 1970's.

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SPIKEISLANDTRADER says...
8:15am Wed 20 Feb 13

Maybe a blonde , but with brains , Well done Fiona

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CharlieOxbridge says...
8:27am Wed 20 Feb 13

Did Labour just go round asking C list celebrities? Pathetic

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MGRA says...
8:31am Wed 20 Feb 13

she is as dumb as a waiter on a rope...... John O'Farrell will get slaughtered at the polls but she would have been humiliated.....

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Datarater says...
8:43am Wed 20 Feb 13

Being Labour we don't expect her to have many brains. We expect Labour people to be emotionally driven.

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griffon says...
9:20am Wed 20 Feb 13

Hm politics 'show biz for ugly people' so why not politics for show biz people.

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The Wickham Man says...
9:40am Wed 20 Feb 13

At Millbrook school she blamed everyone but herself for her own failure. This makes her ideally qualified as a labour candidate.

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derek james says...
9:50am Wed 20 Feb 13

another champagne socialist!

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Linesman says...
9:54am Wed 20 Feb 13

The Wickham Man wrote:
At Millbrook school she blamed everyone but herself for her own failure. This makes her ideally qualified as a labour candidate.
I bet that you wish that you could be a failure like her.

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Lone Ranger. says...
10:13am Wed 20 Feb 13

The Wickham Man wrote:
At Millbrook school she blamed everyone but herself for her own failure. This makes her ideally qualified as a labour candidate.
Blimey ....... Where have you been for the last 2.5 years

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southy says...
10:40am Wed 20 Feb 13

derek james wrote:
another champagne socialist!
It shows that Labour is just another Capitalist supporting Right Wing Party.
No interest for the majority any more and doing what the Torys do best look after the few those that see you all right with a high paying job, and put large amounts of money in the Torys funds

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southy says...
10:43am Wed 20 Feb 13

A party spokesman said: “Labour members in Eastleigh selected the best candidate from a very strong shortlist.”

But left off the list the best people for the job

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Lockssmart says...
12:25pm Wed 20 Feb 13

I've got one of her electric razors and its brilliant.

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kingnotail says...
12:30pm Wed 20 Feb 13

The Wickham Man wrote:
At Millbrook school she blamed everyone but herself for her own failure. This makes her ideally qualified as a labour candidate.
All she did was point out attitudes that still persist today - kids from working class backgrounds shouldn't have ambitions beyond their station. It was like this when I was at school, so what exactly has she done wrong?

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George4th says...
12:45pm Wed 20 Feb 13

The Wickham Man wrote:
At Millbrook school she blamed everyone but herself for her own failure. This makes her ideally qualified as a labour candidate.
Spot on!
>

13 years of Labour = ruination!

The young and future generations robbed of a decent future at the altar of the Labour god, "SPEND"

At least Milliband et al have s l o w l y admitted that their predecessors got it all wrong!!!!!!!! So that's ok then! Doh!

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Stephen J says...
1:12pm Wed 20 Feb 13

southy wrote:
A party spokesman said: “Labour members in Eastleigh selected the best candidate from a very strong shortlist.”

But left off the list the best people for the job
If Daz Procter was the TUSC's best person for the job, I can't imagine what those who didn't make it are like. From what I've seen, he's obviously a 'true believer' but he's completely hopeless at putting it across. And he reckons he can represent the people of Eastleigh in the House of Commons with those communication skills? Another example of the TUSC not having a clue what being an MP is actually all about.

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sarfhamton says...
1:12pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Thank goodness for that, a terrible woman and thick to boot

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Tenderhearts wife says...
2:12pm Wed 20 Feb 13

sarfhamton wrote:
Thank goodness for that, a terrible woman and thick to boot
what makes her so terrible, the fact that she is a woman? or perhaps she's not very good at being a woman? She didnt ask to be approached to run in the Elections, she's not pretending to be something that she isnt as most politicians do, she turned the opportunity down. As for being thick im sure that she knows how to spell Southampton!

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100%HANTSBOY says...
7:11pm Wed 20 Feb 13

southy wrote:
derek james wrote:
another champagne socialist!
It shows that Labour is just another Capitalist supporting Right Wing Party.
No interest for the majority any more and doing what the Torys do best look after the few those that see you all right with a high paying job, and put large amounts of money in the Torys funds
Perhaps you could offer her a position with your party,obviously on minimum wage!

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