Who is Jess Phillips and why has she dropped out the Labour leadership race?

JESS Phillips has officially dropped out of the Labour leadership contest after she threw her hat in the ring shortly after her party's election defeat.

The Labour MP has represented Birmingham Yardley since 2015. Here's the lowdown on the MP and her constituency.

Why did Jess Phillips drop out from the Labour leadership contest?

The MP said in a statement she was dropping out of the race because she cannot unite a party.

She acknowledged the "cataclysmic" Labour defeat in the the December general election and that now the party needs to win 124 seats just secure a majority by one.

Phillips said: "In order to do that, The Labour party will need to select a candidate who can unite all parts of our movement, the union movement, members and elected representatives.

"And I have to also be honest with myself, as I said I always would be throughout this campaign.

"At this time, that person is not me.

"In order to win the country, we are going to have to find a candidate, in this race, who can do all of that, and then take that message out to the country.

"A message of hope and change, that things can be better."

Who is Jess Phillips?

Jess Phillips has been the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley since 2015.

The 37-year-old has two sons and is married to Tom Phillips.

In 2017 she published her first book titled Everywoman: One Woman’s Truth About Speaking The Truth.

The MP is known for being outspoken especially when it comes to sex education classes in school.

In November 2018, she said it was vital for girls to be taught about orgasms and sexual pleasure as part of their sex education lessons.

The MP had also been a huge critic of Jeremy Corbyn, and when she was running as leader of the party she was asked about the issue on anti-Semitism in the party.

She had said: "The Labour Party needs a leader who has spoken out about anti-Semitism and other forms of harassment when others were keeping quiet.

"I have to say I don't remember some of the people in this room being... in those particular fights when we were really pushing for this to change."

When did she become a Labour MP?

The mum-of-two worked for domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid before getting into politics.

Her efforts to campaign and support those affected by domestic abuse led her to become a Labour councillor and eventually an MP.

She has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Yardley since the 2015 general election.