Labour MP and blogger Tom Harris wrote a typically candid post on his must-read blog last night. He pointed out that none of the Labour leadership contenders appear to be addressing the crucial question of "why the government (in which most of them served right up until the bitter end) has just been rejected by […]
Labour will not be holding the beauty contest that is the Shadow Cabinet elections until the autumn when a new leader is in place. So, for the time being, the former Cabinet goes into shadow form, with Labour's deputy leader, Harriet Harman, at the helm as acting leader. However, despite no Cabinet minister losing their […]
The Guardian reported last night: The former Labour MP Oona King will announce tomorrow her return to frontline politics by declaring that she will challenge Ken Livingstone to become Labour's candidate for mayor of London in 2012. King will fight Livingstone to become Labour challenger to Boris Johnson. The contest – like the leadership contest […]
John Prescott, who turns 72 at the end of this month, departed the Commons at the general election, three years after his decade as Deputy Prime Minister came to an end. But Prescott – who is widely expected to be awarded a peerage in the coming days – is showing no sign of wanting to […]
The Observer this morning carries an interview with Lord Kinnock, in which the former Labour leader declares his support not for the favourite, David Miliband, but his younger brother Ed. "Ed [Miliband], I think, is very bright, including politically bright. He is hugely energetic. He is fluent. He has got the capacity to inspire people, […]
Significant moves today from the two Eds in the Labour leadership race to distance themselves from the most unpopular legacy of the Blair years; the Iraq war: Ed Balls: "We shouldn't have changed our argument from international law to regime change in a non-transparent way. It was an error for which we as a country […]
Ms Abbott became the sixth (and most unexpected) Labour leadership candidate to declare. Speaking on the Today programme Ms Abbott said she was confident of securing the necessary 33 signatures from her fellow MPs. She said that it was time that the Labour party became more democratic, more civil libertarian and focused on the underlying […]
I would have expected this story to be run with big-time by the Right-wing press, but it is in fact The Guardian which splashes on it this morning: Civil servants came under increasing pressure from ministers in the dying months of the Labour government to carry out expensive orders that they disagreed with and responded […]
As I was passing through the precincts of the Palace of Westminster after lunch today, I was met with the sight of (almost) the entire female membership of the Parliamentary Labour Party posing for the cameras. It was the similar shot taken with Tony Blair after the 1997 election that launched the whole "Blair Babes" […]
The Guardian is reporting that Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas will not be throwing his hat into the ring for the Labour leadership. The paper states: His announcement, in the comment pages of the Guardian following a weekend of soul searching, will disappoint those hoping his candidacy would broaden the range in the contest. […]
Before leaving office, Liam Byrne, who was Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the Labour Government, wrote a letter to be opened by whoever was appointed his successor. As his successor, David Laws, explained this morning: 'When I arrived at my desk on the very first day as Chief Secretary, I found a letter from […]
There are a number of effective websites on the Left – LeftFootForward being at the top of the tree – but the one most suited to covering the Labour leadership race is Alex Smith's LabourList. He's done a good job in rescuing the site's reputation after the whole Derek Draper saga. The leadership race is […]
The Press Association has the story; Former energy secretary Ed Miliband will set out his vision for the future of Labour in a speech which will effectively launch his campaign for the party's leadership. Mr Miliband is not expected to formally announce his intention to challenge elder brother David for the leadership until next week, […]
There is speculation that Labour leadership contenders may begin to announce their intentions today. Harriet Harman is now acting Labour leader – although she has reportedly ruled herself out of running for the leadership, apparently preferring to stay as the second-in-command. Here are the current odds offered by Ladbrokes on the most likely contenders: David […]
Open thread. 8.20pm: The earlier rumour that Brown will resign as MP was untrue. 8.30pm: