Rebecca Long-Bailey has vowed to challenge the media's "vested interests" and ridicule perceived smears against Labour if she succeeded Jeremy Corbyn as leader.
Speaking ahead of the leadership contest’s Scottish hustings in Glasgow tomorrow, the Shadow Business Secretary announced to supporters she would look to build a "counter-narrative" to what she branded "deliberate" efforts in the Press to keep Labour and its left-wing policies from power.
In a speech in Salford today on plotting Labour's path back to power, the leadership hopeful signalled the party's, at times, fraught relationship with the traditional media would continue under her watch.
READ MORE: Long-Bailey said she would back any strike against unjust bosses 'no questions asked'
Journalists were not permitted on board Labour's campaign bus at the General Election and Mr Corbyn has been accused of dodging questions from right-wing newspapers at press conferences.
Ms Long-Bailey said that while journalists had a "vital role" to play in society, she argued "large sections of the media represent vested interests".
The Salford MP explained: "Much of the Press is owned by billionaires, so it's no surprise they support the Tories and monster Labour.
"I'll not only call that out, I have a plan to deal with it. I'll ridicule the most absurd smears and lies.
"We won't just rebut factual errors in stories but provide a counter-narrative about deliberate media efforts to hold back aspirational socialism," she declared.
Her ideas for establishing rival messaging include setting up a "dedicated creative digital communications unit" in the party, responsible for producing "viral content that can both get around media hostility and speak directly to voters".
The left-wing campaign group Momentum, which is backing Ms Long-Bailey in the leadership race, currently does something similar, often producing humorous videos mocking Conservative policies and explaining Labour alternatives.
Ms Long-Bailey - dubbed by her critics the "continuity candidate" for her closeness to Mr Corbyn - also urged the party not to row back from the "popular" policies found in its election manifesto, despite them being rejected by the electorate at the December election.
She said: "Retreating from popular policies that provide answers to the crises facing our country is no route to victory."
Despite her comments, Ms Long-Bailey has previously confirmed she would ditch elements of the defeated manifesto.
Along with the other three candidates in the contest, she admitted on BBC Newsnight that she would not pursue blocking a rise in the retirement age or introducing a four-day working week.
However, she is supporting the re-nationalisation of industries such as rail, water and energy, while also scrapping university tuition fees.
Ms Long-Bailey has been criticised repeatedly during the leadership race by rival Lisa Nandy for wanting to introduce open selections, a system that would make it easier for members to get rid of sitting MPs.
But the 40-year-old encouraged MPs not to be "timid" and welcomed the proposals, which she argued would help it appeal to a greater section of society.
“I've heard the line about wanting to deselect Tory MPs, not Labour ones," she said, referencing Ms Nandy's critique. "But this isn't about that; it's about creating a party full of motivated, engaged members who can then sweep those Tory MPs away."
Fresh nominations from affiliate groups were declared for candidates earlier today with the Jewish Labour Movement [JLM] backing Ms Nandy for the top job.
The Wigan MP took 50.9 per cent of the vote, while Ms Long-Bailey received backing from just 1.4 per cent of JLM members in what is likely to be seen as a swipe at her efforts to tackle anti-Semitism in the party.
Sir Keir Starmer secured 45.3 per cent of the vote while Emily Thornberry managed just 1.9.
Mike Katz, the national JLM chairman, said: "Lisa Nandy understands that without a change in the culture of our party, our party might have no future."
In a boost to his campaign for the deputy leadership, Ian Murray also received the backing of the JLM.
The Edinburgh South MP said he was honoured to receive its endorsement and said: “As Deputy Leader I will take personal responsibility for rooting out anti-Semitism in our party. And if it’s not done under my watch, then I’ll resign as Deputy Leader because I won’t tolerate anti-Semitism within the Labour Party.
“Never again do I want any Jewish person to feel they do not have a home in the Labour Party, that they can’t trust us to do the right thing or feel our party would make the country a more dangerous place for them. This is the moral issue of our time in the party,” declared the party’s only Scottish MP.
Meanwhile, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association [TSSA], a rail and travel union, threw its support behind Sir Keir, the Shadow Brexit Secretary.
Nominations for the leadership race are set to close at midnight with three out of the four candidates so far having won enough backing to make it onto the ballot paper.
READ MORE: Rebecca Long-Bailey would not stand in way of Scottish independence referendum
Sir Keir, Ms Long-Bailey and Ms Nandy have made it through to the final stage but Ms Thornberry, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, remains short of the required support.
In part of a last-ditch effort to remain in the contest, she announced she would bring in public sector pension reforms if she took Labour into Downing Street.
The Opposition frontbencher told Politics Home she planned to give workers access to their pension pots before they retired in a move designed to ease Government debt and boost the economy.
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