At the start of this year, there was plenty of speculation that North West Durham MP Laura Pidcock was being groomed to replace Jeremy Corbyn as party leader.
A powerful 3 minute 40 second party political broadcast in January set out Jeremy Corbyn’s vision for a country “that believes in fairness, that knows right from wrong”.
The Labour leader narrated the film, but while viewers heard his voice, they didn’t see him.
Instead, the film ended with the camera closing in on Laura Pidcock’s face as she stands in a street.
There’s nothing in the film to suggest why she has been singled out for star billing rather than Mr Corbyn or any other Labour MP.
Ms Pidcock was elected as an MP for the first time in 2017, and is the shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights in Labour’s front bench team.
The North Shields-born MP came to prominence after a speech in 2017 when she said Parliament is “archaic” and “reeks of the establishment”.
And she was tipped at the time as a potential future leader.
Ms Pidcock returned to the House of Commons in 2018 after taking time off for maternity leave.
She is a staunch supporter of Mr Corbyn.
The MP was criticised after saying she could not be friends with a Tory, adding: “The idea that they’re not the enemy is simply delusional.”
But her attitude may appeal to many party members.
