Labour MPs to fulfill Joe Biden as group flies to US with recommendation for Kamala Harris

A group of Labour MPs and senior party officials will meet with US President Joe Biden in person on Monday night, the Mirror has learned.

General Secretary David Evans and former MP Jonathan Ashworth, who now leads the think tank Labour Together, are leading a delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.

Mr Evans, Mr Ashworth and newly elected Labour MPs Mike Tapp and Lucy Rigby will meet with President Biden after his keynote speech on Monday evening. It’s understood the group has been flown over by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), a US think tank.

A US source familiar with the trip said the group would meet with high-level staff from Kamala Harris’ campaign to give advice on the campaign strategies that secured Labour’s historic victory in the General Election.

Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh and senior Labour HQ staff are also in the 18-strong delegation, who flew to Illinois on Sunday.

Sen. Gary Peters, Sen. Michael Bennet, Gov. Jared Polis and high-ranking House Democrats including Suzan DelBene and Jim Clyburn.

Mr Tapp, the MP for Dover and Deal, and Lucy Rigby, the MP for Northampton North – as well as Mr Evans and Mr Ashworth – will speak at two events hosted by PPI and the US news outlet Axios on “winning the working class”.

Vice President Harris will speak on Thursday, the final night of the Convention. Former President Barack Obama will speak on Tuesday, and Bill Clinton on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror yesterday, Mr Ashworth said: “It’s my job to think through how Labour win a historic second term at the next general election. That’s why I want to learn from campaigns across the world and will be travelling regularly meeting our sister parties fighting elections over the coming years.”