Ask any Conservative to identify the Labour MP they most admire and the two names most likely to be mentioned are Frank Field and Kate Hoey – and quite right too. So Tory admirers of the duo will be somewhat alarmed to see that they have both nominated the veteran Campaign Group member and arch […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Another thought, further to my post earlier suggesting that a Lib-Lab coalition was most certainly not what the country had voted for. How on earth could the Lib Dems negotiate a deal with Labour under Brown when a Labour leadership election is about to take place? Quite apart form the whole issue of having anohter […]
Brown has just made a statement on the steps of Downing Street indicating his intention to resign. He said he would instruct his party to begin proceedings for a leadership contest for the Labour Party, aiming to have the position filled by their conference in October. He said: "I will play no part in that […]
The first Labour MP to put his head above the parapet and call on Gordon Brown to quit was John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw. The BBC reports him as saying: "Gordon Brown has had a good run and whilst he was an excellent chancellor he has been seen as a poor prime minister who is […]
This is the latest betting from Ladbrokes: David Miliband 7/4 Ed Miliband 5/1 Alan Johnson 6/1 Harriet Harman 8/1 Peter Mandelson 10/1 Alistair Darling 12/1 Ed Balls 14/1 Jon Cruddas 14/1 Jack Straw 25/1 John Denham 25/1 Andy Burnham 25/1 Hilary Benn 33/1 Yvette Cooper 33/1 Tim Montgomerie
Remember how Labour lost Blaenau Gwent, one of its safest seats in the country, at the last general election after a revolt by activists and locals opposed to a favoured candidate being foisted on the constituency by Labour HQ through an all-women shortlist? A Labour majority of over 19,000 was overturned and Peter Law, formerly […]
Last September, Richard Balfe, the one-time Labour MEP who joined the Conservatives in 2002 wrote here about the "very constructive dialogue" which some in the trade union movement are having with the Conservatives. Balfe liaises with the unions on behalf of David Cameron. However, in this week's New Statesman, the joint general secretary of Unite, […]