So the first stage of nominations for the Labour Party Leader & Deputy Leader have now closed, with 5 people nominated for Leader & 5 for Deputy Leader by the Labour Party MPs & MEPs.
Whilst these individuals have received enough nominations from their fellow MPs/MEPs, in order to reach the final ballot each candidate will need to gain the support of at least 5% of Constituency Labour Parties (which is 33 CLPs), or at least 3 parties affiliates, of which two must be trade unions. This stage runs from 15th January to 14th February, it is is possible that at least one candidate could drop out at this stage if the don't think they've enough support from the organisations.
From February 21st through to early April, Labour will then ballot its members & registered supporters on a "one member, one vote" system on a Ranked Preference system, where the individual with the most votes following transfers will become the new Leader/Deputy Leader.
If you wish to vote in the Leadership contest, you need to either become a member of the Labour Party by January 20th, or register as a supporter (https://support.labour.org.uk/) by January 20th. It's £25 to register as a supporter.
So, who do you support, and who do you think will win?
Keir Starmer but Lisa Nandy has managed to make a Blue Labour-adjacent pitch while somehow not managing to offend my social liberal instincts, so maybe her too. In the sense that I expected to hate her but I don't atm.
Lisa Nandy's my pick so far, probably because I am closer to being Blue Labour-thinking than anything else, although my inner papist won't be too disappointed if it's Rebecca Long Bailey. Not as keen on the other three, although at the moment the contest is Keir's to lose.
Not really fussed on who's the Deputy, but Burgeon would be the worst of that lot.
Angela Raynar for pm in ten years!!!
I personally think that Keir Starmer would make the best choice but out of those I'd be happy with Lisa Nandy as well, and definitely Angela Rayner for Deputy. However, I would also quite like to see Rosena Allin Khan in that role too.
I await the campaign with interest anyway.
I would be happy with Starmer or Long-Bailey — although Starmer is seemingly the smarter choice for numerous reasons. Dawn Butler or Angela Rayner for deputy.
If people think infighting will stop with either Phillips or Nandy as leaders then they're in for a surprise.
I think it should be a woman this time. Two female Tory PM's and no woman's been considered good enough to even lead Labour.
Rebecca Long-Bailey step forward please.
Richard Burgeon for Deputy to balance it a bit.
Long-Bailey was my MP when I lived in Salford so in a two horse race between her and Starmer I’m back Starmer.
I did quite like Nandy but she’s a bit too Brexit for my liking and I was all for Phillips until she absolutely shat the bed when it comes to Scotland. Honestly imagine appointing the head of Better Together to advise you about Scotland. It’s nae wonder she’s coming off like a Tory
Think Starmer will become leader though. Still the hot favourite with all the bookies.
I've actually met Rosena a few times, as she's a local MP to me and has attended a few events I've been at.
She's totally lovely, although I had no idea she'd go on to raise her profile this way!
My love for all things high camp urges me to support Emily Thornberry but I'm fully aware she's got zippo chance of winning. My ranked choices would probably be something like:
Thornberry
Starmer
Nandy
Phillips
Long Bailey
...and for the Deputy
Rayner
Alin-Khan
Butler
Murray
Burgon
Voted for Starmer-Rayner!
Still happy with either Keir Starmer or Jess Phillips as leader.
Angela Rayner is the obvious candidate for deputy and would've been a much better Corbyn-esque candidate for leader than Long-Bailey. Ah well.
Definitely no to Nandy and Phillips now their campaigns have started. Thornberry is dead in the water.
I'm in the somewhat strange position of being between Long-Bailey and Starmer.
Now, now, calm. Long-Bailey winning is good for a few reasons, it guarantees that Labour continues to follow the policies that truly set it apart from the Tories, the Tories are economically moving left (if still to the centre-right) and if Labour socially move right in response, why vote for them? The policies are popular if Labour choose the right ones to go forward, particularly the Green New Deal which is one of the best environmental policies we have, and talk of her being unelectable will only make such a self-fulfilling prophecy, so ignore talk of electability, it's rhetoric designed to limit what is possible.
Of course if she wins Labour can't be complacent and assume they can age the population into a socialist victory (or even a socdem one), they can't without a massive change in circumstances. But there's so much talk now about how RLB is a disaster, which is priming you to think she will be. I've always been impressed by her speaking and I'd hope she would be less passive than Corbyn in letting smears take hold and would do more to get media friendly voices on side. Hope, there's no guarantee, which is my concern about her. But if she is elected, don't give up with talk of Tories in power for 15 years, we should attempt grassroots movements to win back the vote and solidify a movement that can win over people across the board.
However I do also really like Starmer's campaign, his message, Another Future Is Possible is a good tag line, and I have confidence that he is the least likely candidate to cause a rift in the party. His position on the soft left is one that reasonably closely matches my own, and I think he comes across as an intelligent person who'd hold the government to account. I am concerned that it's easy to paint him as uninspiring and I'm also concerned about the optics that has him triumph over a field of women. Nevertheless I think he's the best chance at the moment of taking back 2024, but I still see it as a long shot.
Whoever the leader is, Labour need to do a lot better on the optics to convince voters to come away from the Tories and back to them. That means getting some friends in the media, highlighting Tory mistakes, and coming across as people who can solve the problems of all communities across the UK.
Long-Bailey doesn't have the image to win and would be Corbyn 2.0. Ideologically I don't have the biggest problem with that, but Tory rule needs to be stopped and Keir is the way forward with that as a compromise to pull the country back onto something of an even keel. That's where I stand now.
I feel like Angela Rayner would have been able to walk a line of that sort too, but ah well.
I am reasonably confident that Rayner will be deputy at this stage, she seems to be getting support from both Starmer and Long-Bailey's nominations. Which if Starmer is leader will alleviate my some of my concerns with him.
I agree RLB doesn't have the image right now. I think it IS possible she can turn it around as leader but she will have more of a fight than Starmer will. There have been better candidates from the left of the party.
Apparently it's "too close to call" amongst members, from polls conducted. Bet they go for Long-Bailey as she's female.
Just thought that both may be female.
I'm gonna go with Starmer for leader and Rayner for deputy, and I think that's what could realistically happen.
Rayner should be leader!
I agree with the Starmer-Rayner ticket. I like RLB and her policies but think Starmer would be a better leader due to the fact he's a lawyer he would be perfect to forensically take apart a leader like Johnston in the Commons. And although he isn't obviously charasmatic like Blair say, he still 'looks' like a potential PM in the making.
Excited about the prospect of a Starmer shadow cabinet now.
Long-Bailey is dull as dishwater, bland at its absolute peak. Her getting the nomination is a one way ticket to the Tories getting back in to power in 2024.
Starmer while also not a great deal above bland can bring the party together and I think he will hold the Tories to account. His Remain background will be irrelevant in 2 years time, so by 2024 it will be all be a dream we thought was a nightmare but actually it's reality.
I don't think anyone is daft enough to vote for someone because they're a woman, you vote for the best person for the role regrdless of their sex, of the available candidates that is Starmer.
Will Starmer be tarnished by being around the top table in the JC cabinet and being leader of he remainer arguement so much so that he created the ill fated Brexit position in the GE?
No. By 2024 there will be enough to evaluate some of the success or failure of Brexit, which should diminish the tribalism. If it’s widely seen as a failure, good for him, in the unlikely event it’s a roaring success the Tories win no matter who the Labour leader is - plus half the country are on his side. Besides if he is wise in that circumstance he’ll have a non-Rejoin policy.
I think and hope that Brexit tribalism will diminish now the ‘respect the result’ part is over.
Turns out I'm seeing Jess Phillips at a leadership event tonight, should be interesting!
Does anyone have any burning questions in case I get to speak to her afterwards?
Team Starmer!
As for questions for Jess, what does she honestly think of Johnson and May, and/or the Russia report's lack of publication? If she has a fierce response to that she'd go up in my estimation.
Momentum did a poll and RLB came top so they'll back her. Momentum's said to have a lot of influence with members, social media etc.and what they want they usually get.
Keir Starmer is first candidate to reach the final ballot of the membership.
Seeing rumours that Jess Phillips is going to drop out of the leadership race. She hasn’t had a good campaign, so wouldn’t surprise me.
Seeing her do a speech last night, she seemed so positive and optimistic. It'll feel weird to see her drop out less than 24hrs later.
She got heckled a lot by someone in the audience about women's rights.
Emily Thornberry was on Sky News earlier and was repeatedly asked whether she'd vote for Starmer or RLB if they were the last two. She refused to say, repeating over and over again that she was in it to win it, claiming she has the most front-bench experience.
Confirmed: Jess has pulled out.
Jess Phillips was making a perfectly valid point in her article but it was also somewhat moot. She is right that it is hard to summarise, for example, an economic policy in 40 seconds. However, that is the way politics works whether we like it or not. One of Labour's strengths in the 1997 election was their much derided pledge card which summarised their key policies in a few words. The Tory slogan last month may have been vacuous but it worked. In the same way the Lib Dems did well inn the European elections with a three-word slogan even if one of them was "bollocks" and another one was an obscenity.
Lisa “let the met police beat up Scottish grannies to stop independence” Nandy to be the next political equivalent of a flaming trash barge floating down the Thames to drop out please and thank you most kindly
Unite have said they're backing Rebecca Long- Bailey.
From The Independant.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rebecca-long-bailey-labour-leadership-rules-broken-corbyn-election-latest-a9300891.html
Rebecca Long-Bailey broke Labour leadership contest rules but was quietly cleared by Jeremy Corbyn’s allies who promptly rewrote them, The Independent can reveal.
The episode has triggered widespread anger among supporters of rival campaigns, who have accused the leader’s team of manipulating the race to rescue their favoured candidate.
Ms Long-Bailey was investigated after breaching a ban on promoting campaigns to members using party data – an offence some Labour MPs viewed as potentially serious enough for her to be thrown out of the contest altogether.
Instead, party officials – including leading figures in the Unite union, which backs the shadow business secretary – decided it was “reasonable” for candidates to contact their own local members.
“It’s clear the Labour Party is making it up as it goes along and deliberately engineering the rules in favour of a certain candidate,” alleged Wes Streeting, a supporter of Jess Phillips until she dropped out.
A second MP said: “This shows how they manipulate the system, they are doing everything they possibly can to help their candidate. They are in favour of party democracy, as long they control the rules.”
The controversy follows Labour laying down a strict rule barring any MP, or their supporters, from using party membership lists to advertise their campaign to succeed Mr Corbyn.
However, when Ms Long-Bailey – who is backed by the outgoing leader’s team as the “continuity Corbyn” choice – entered the race, she emailed all members in her Salford constituency party (CLP) to ask for their backing.
“I hope you can support me in the leadership contest and please feel free to get in touch with me or the office if you want to pop in for a chat,” the shadow business secretary wrote.
Funny I wasn’t aware she was aware she had constituents. I was one, only time we heard from her was elections
Labour is stuck in the last century. Its adversaries have seized the future
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/27/labour-party-leadership-keir-starmer-rebecca-long-bailey
The Daily Mail has started early. It is running fake news about Keir, saying he was a terrorist defender as a lawyer Corbyn wasn't the problem. The media hated his ideas. They will attack Keir with the same shit, seeing as it was so effective last time.
What terrorist did he as a human rights lawyer defend?
No idea! I just saw the headline. I don't give that Murdoch propaganda any clicks.
Scummy bast*rds.
Emily Thornberry has now been eliminated.
Was always gonna happen! Her supporters will likely fall behind Keir now!
Kier got over half the votes...just call this thing now
According to The Guardian Jeremy Corbyn said he'd consider a front-bench tole under the new leader. His Momentum fans love this on Twitter, saying the new leader, most likely Starmer, would just be a puppet leader with Jezza really still leading.
"Labour leader says he would ‘see what it is’ before deciding on any offers after departure" He could make sure that the next leader is ideologically pure.
RLB has reportedly promised him a 'role' in her shadow cabinet should she be elected leader. The other two have said nothing.
Foot wasn't given a Shadow Cabinet role after his big defeat in 1983 so why should Corbyn even think he may be offered one?
You said in the first post it was the Guardian who said it so not sure jeremy is the one pushing this. Could only see it ever happening under RLB. Anyone else would be destroyed if he was in their shadow cabinet.
I watched the leadership debate and I just think Keir is utterly fantastic! I'm pretty sure he's got my vote when the time comes.
I did warm to Nandy a little bit though actually.
I have to say I find the future of Labour fairly bleak and depressing currently — of course, it is to be expected after such a defeat.
Keir Starmer leaves me completely cold and uninspired — the more I have seen of him has left me bewildered by his appeal. There is no spark there. RLB is my choice purely by default as she is the most aligned with me, but again, there is nothing about her that has wowed me. It just feels like we are another generation away from a potential Labour government, and where will the country even be by then?
Dianne Abbott has announced that she's decided to leave the shadow cabinet. She'd probably have got the push in May anyway.
It's not exactly the biggest shock in history - or even this week. It is common practice for politicians to choose a change of leadership as the time to stand down.
Think these two will be the perfect partnership - Rayner for the left and Starmer to unite the right.
Wonder who the shadow chancellor will be?
I would imagine there will be a Mix this time with old centrists like Cooper and new right wingers alongside Long-Bailey etc.
The April 4th special Labour party conference, at which the new leader was to be announced, has been cancelled and the result will now be announced in a low-key affair.
Aww was hoping they would have postponed the election of a new labour leader because of the coronavirus and just kept Corbyn as leader for most of the year! He's been quite good as opposition leader in Parliament recently.
Corbyn, for his faults I do feel really comes alive in a debate setting and he's often on fire at the dispatch box.
The lack of opposition from any of the leadership candidates, as well as the unions, is ridiculous. They could be talking about the NHS, mandatory sick leave, and so on. Reassuring us of their potential leadership in a crisis. There is nothing.
Compare that to Bernie Sanders who is consistently countering Trump on his mistakes and the need for free healthcare, etc.
Well I don't think that there will be much criticism of the Government DURING the crisis unless things become really bad, because to do so would potentially undermine public confidence/trust and make things even worse. That said, you would expect a little more debate and discussion about these issues.
Incidentally Jezza put out this statement:
Is it possible that the government has blocked internal criticism during one of their COBRA meetings? Silence from all corners strikes me as odd & out of character from at the very least RLB.
Opposition leaders were at a CONRA meeting last week. It isn't clear whether they heard the advice directly from the experts or were given a version of it by a minister.
One focus for the opposition parties should perhaps be the effect on workers in the gig economy. There still seems to be a very high risk that people such as Deliveroo drivers will turn up for work to avoid losing pay even if they feel unwell.
It applies to other people too. I do supply work in schools. If the schools close, I won't get any of that work. Will I get anything to make up for what I would have earned? I am due to work in a summer school for six weeks in July and August. What if that is cancelled?
Voted for Keir Starmer. It will be interesting to see the results this week.
Result announced on Saturday morning. Sure to be Starmer. More interested in who will be in his shadow cabinet and in what roles.
It doesn't really matter. We now live in a one party state dictatorship in all but name. I'd vote for a model bus before I ever voted for a tory, especially Bojo the clown.
Sir Keir Starmer is the new Labour leader, elected on the first count.
Angela Rayner is the new deputy leader, elected on the third count.
Results were slightly delayed, as the Labour Party website crashed.
one of the few times i can post this re anything political:
yaaaaaaaaasssssssss
Been waiting for this. I hope Sir Keir can build a strong shadow cabinet that represents as much of the mainstream left as he can (Angela Rayner being deputy is hopefully a good sign on that front), and start holding the Tories to account, ensuring that they are still meaningfully different.
Let's hope we now get a properly-functioning opposition.
Will be interesting to see what his shadow cabinet will look like - he's inherited two election cycles worth of Corbynite MPs, so will see if his cabinet is made up of mainly MPs elected in 2015 or earlier, or if newer figures will also be included.
Of course, if he really wanted to make a break from the past, he could set his stall out early by expelling Corbyn a la Militant in the 80s. He won't, but he could - given that as an opposition party he's not reliant on MP numbers to stay in power, unlike the Tories who need to keep their numbers above 325, Labour could lose a handful of MPs without taking a hit to their standing.
Absolutely over the moon with the Starmer win!!! His speech was very good. I believe he will do well in the role and bring new factions into the Labour movement!!!
I kinda forgot all about this oops, but excellent choice. Soft Left is definitely what Labour should be going for right now and if this shitshow of a government continues, they'll have a lot to call them out on next election.
I have been impressed by Dr Rosena during the campaign from what I’ve seen, having known nothing about her beforehand. Hopefully she can be part of the shadow cabinet, possibly Shadow Health Secretary.
I've heard almost nothing about this for weeks for obvious reasons. Predictable result but happy with it, I hope they don't turn out to be entirely irrelevant. xx
Well thank god that the leadership contest is over is all I’ll say! Nandy was my first choice but still happy with Starmer. Even moreso than ever we can’t predict what the future holds but hopefully with a more professional operation from the opposition will stand us all in good stead for when that future comes.
Pleased by the result. At the very least it will be interesting watching how fast the media shift to portraying Kier as the spawn of Satan despite having excellent credentials and a classic British underdog story.
Fascinating indictment of the power of the media portraying a certain image how Jeremy Corbyn - the absolute stereotype of a kindly, well-meaning, uncontroversial English grandfather figure who made jam and gardened and rode the bus to work, became public enemy number 1.
I would hope Keir will be able to actually sway some people back though. My absolute ideal would be if the media would take it down a notch and stop altogether portraying the very concept of something being 'left' as a dirty word. Insane that that is still the narrative in a world where we are more dependent than ever right now on socialized medicine, low-paid workers sacrificing for the good of the nation, a UBI in all but name, and more people than ever before reliant on state benefits just to keep a roof over their head and food in the kïtchen.
Heard Annalise Dodds is tipped as shadow chancellor & Jo Stevens as shadow foreign secretary & Nicklas Thomas-Symonds as Shadow Home Sec!
The Shadow Cabinet is coming together very well. The picks so far are very credible.
Yes my source was near spot on apart from Lisa Nandy at Foreign secretary.
The rest is being done today!
The hapless Richard Burgeon is out. The thieving Ian Lavery is out. Other Corbynites like Abbott & Gardiner are out. It looks like there’s a big clear out of the old guard. Whether Thornberry & Long-Bailey survive the chop remains to be seen - the latter will probably be out, the former might get a reprieve.
Long-Bailey in at Education Secretary, and Ed Miliband as Business!
Both good signs. I don't think people should want all of the Corbyn cabinet gone, had there been a complete purge it would give the socialist wing of the party good reason to start looking for allies elsewhere and possibly finding people like George Galloway and Chris Williamson as they do so. I think Starmer's done well putting together a soft left focused cabinet and if it has both Reeves and Long-Bailey in it, much better for the long-term unity of the party.
And Miliband will add a lot of name recognition and I think he's been quite rehabilitated in public opinion given well, everything. Quite excited with most of the appointments, I did really like Abbott and Burgon but they'd both come in for quite a lot of unfortunate abuse so a reprieve is fine. They'd both become emblematic of certain people seeing Labour as 'extreme left' even more than RLB so optics-wise, not a problem.
Good to see Ed back, think he's more radical than people give him credit for. Cabinet is basically full of soft left brownite types which is fine by me.
Also Abbot was always stepping down as was McDonnel and Jeremy.
Like I said, it doesn't matter. We don't live in a functioning democracy anymore. The media has seen to that. They defend Bojo and the Tories like Russian state media with Putin.
The generally do but I wouldn't say it's guaranteed!
Powered by Invision Power Board
© Invision Power Services