Nominations

Miliband vs Miliband: a one family race so far

“The brothers remain the only candidates of the six hopefuls to have secured the required number of nominations from fellow MPs. Members are putting pressure on party chiefs to change the rules to ensure that Labour’s electoral college has a wider choice of candidates.” – The Telegraph

“John McDonnell has got his first confirmed backers in the contest to become the next Labour leader. The backbench MP is being supported by former minister Frank Field and fellow MPs Kate Hoey and Dai Havard.” – The BBC

“The two Milibands are the only candidates so far to secure the 33 nominations from fellow MPs required to get their names on the ballot paper, with Ed Miliband, the shadow energy secretary, passing the threshold first and leading the field until now.” – The Telegraph

“Labour is a coalition of individual members, trade unions and other affiliated socialist societies. At its best it represents a broad church of opinion on the left. We welcome the extension of the nomination period, which now gives MPs the opportunity to consult with their local parties, trade unions and communities.

However, we believe that with six candidates in the race the 12.5% threshold – meaning candidates must secure the backing of 33 MPs – is too onerous.” – Open letter, The Guardian

The campaigns

Abbott: "humbled"

“Andy Burnham yesterday launched his Labour leadership campaign by vowing to “reconnect” the party with its grassroots. The former Health Secretary pitched himself as a contest outsider, standing for people beyond “London and Westminster”. He stressed his Northern roots by kicking off his campaign at a sports centre in his Leigh constituency in Manchester. He said: “People in the North West know me best but I want to reach out to people everywhere. My campaign will have a grassrootsfeel.”” –The Mirror

“Last week I announced that I was prepared to run for the leadership of the Labour party. I have been amazed and humbled by the response of the public. People come up to me in the street and shake my hand. There is a very strong feeling amongst the general public that the political debate at the top of the politics needs to be opened up. They do not want to see only the same old grey men in suits debating the future of our country. So, ordinary people seem to welcome my candidacy.” – Diane Abbott, The Mirror

Opposition

“At the weekend I attended a Labour Party inquest. It was organised by the modernisers’ faction, Progress. There were a lot of young people there, and some of them were most excited by the novelty of being in opposition. It wears off, you know. As someone who spent most of his formative political years attending leftish inquests into Labour defeats, I have to say that they are all the same and that they are mostly beside the point. A lot of people become animated about electoral reform or impatient to take the fight to the Tories (and in the present case, the addition of the Liberal Democrats to the government seems to have made no difference); while in between sessions all the talk is of nominations and shadow cabinet elections.” – The Independent

“In short, Labour must not allow the coalition to claim liberalism as its own. This need not entail any compromising of its core commitment to social justice. After all, as the great social liberal L T Hobhouse, celebrated by the freethinking MP Jon Cruddas in his essay on page 31, argued a century ago: “The ‘right to work’ and the right to a ‘living wage’ are just as valid as the rights of person or property.”” – The New Statesman

The contest

“Left-wing firebrand Diane Abbott has topped the first major opinion poll since she entered the Labour leadership race – despite not having the declared support of any MPs. The strongest backing for the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP in the poll came from Tory and Lib Dem voters.” – The Daily Mail

“Ed Miliband yesterday secured a psychological edge over his rivals for the Labour leadership by clearing the first hurdle in the race to succeed Gordon Brown. On the day the contest officially began, the Shadow Energy Secretary secured nominations from 35 MPs – two more than the minimum required – after what appeared to be a concerted “get out the vote operation” by his campaign.” – The Times

“But as like at a party conference, there are other whispers going on at the fringes. Anyone who has spoken to a number of Labour MPs this week would agree that it feels like the top opposition job will go to one of the Miliband brothers. They feel that Andy Burnham, who could be seen locked in an intense chat with Tessa Jowell in the sun outside parliament just now, lacks the momentum to gain plenty of support. They tend to agree that Ed Balls is the wrong man for the pluralistic age, in which Lib Dem as well as Middle England voters will need to be won.” – The New Statesman

“Britain’s Shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has taken a psychological edge over his rivals for the Labour leadership by securing nominations from 35 MPs, two more than the minimum required. Former Cabinet ministers John Denham and Frank Dobson were among the big names declaring support for Ed Miliband to succeed Gordon Brown as Labour Party’s leader.” – The Indian Express

Andy Burnham official launch

“Former Health Secretary Andy Burnham will officially launch his Labour leadership campaign later in his constituency of Leigh.” – ITN

The long slog

 “The first thing defeated parties have to do is to accept that they’ve actually lost. Then they must ask themselves, and voters, why? Only after that can they address the difficult bit: how to reconnect with the electorate by focusing on issues which the new government is getting wrong or ignoring altogether. “Concentrate on the chamber, make life difficult for ministers,” Jack Straw advised new MPs yesterday.” – The Guardian

“Is this coalition government going to get away without an opposition? Labour is otherwise engaged between now and September, and although Harriet Harman, the interim leader, will do her level best, this is a caretaker opposition. Some, such as Liam Byrne and Sadiq Khan, will be energetic. But many other leading figures – Alan Johnson, Jack Straw and Alistair Darling – have all said they wish to stand aside from the frontbench, and will struggle to grind through the gears.” – The Guardian

“Harriet Harman, the stand-in leader for Labour, has made it clear her party, though going through a leadership election, will be an “effective” opposition in the coming months. Harman said that while Labour will not oppose for the sake of it — “that is not what the public wants” — she added that “we will not pull our punches” and said the opposition is determined to “prevent unfairness”.” – The New Statesman

 Iraq

“There’s an honourable tradition in the Labour Party of bravely standing against an unjust war – as long as the war ended several years ago. So, one by one, Labour’s leadership candidates are announcing their opposition to the invasion of Iraq, just in time for it all to end. Labour leaders did a similar thing after the Vietnam War, and the First World War, and at the moment they all support keeping the army in Afghanistan, but I bet they haven’t a good word for the Second Crusades, which is the main thing.” – The Independent

Ed Miliband edges ahead

"Psychological edge"

“Ed Miliband yesterday secured a psychological edge over his rivals for the Labour leadership by clearing the first hurdle in the race to succeed Gordon Brown. On the day the contest officially began, the Shadow Energy Secretary secured nominations from 35 MPs – two more than the minimum required – after what appeared to be a concerted “get out the vote operation” by his campaign.” – The Times

“If the Miliband brothers secure more than half the parliamentary party between them, the other four candidates, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell, Andy Burnham and Ed Balls, will struggle to reach the 33 required. Balls advertised only four nominations and Andy Burnham only one, but both have more support. David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham, said today he would nominate Abbott. “Ever since I was first elected to parliament I have called for a more diverse and representative political class. It would go against all that not to help Diane Abbott get on to the ballot paper now. To have a leadership election without a single woman involved would send a terrible signal,” he said” – The Guardian

“Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband has become the first contender for the Labour leadership to secure the 33 official nominations from fellow MPs needed to get his name on the ballot paper. Among Ed Miliband’s nominators are former Cabinet ministers Hilary Benn, John Denham, Peter Hain, Stephen Timms and Frank Dobson, as well as shadow

Benn adds to Ed Miliband nominations

leader of the Commons Rosie Winterton, shadow transport secretary Sadiq Khan – the first Muslim to attend Cabinet – and up-and-coming backbencher Chuka Umunna.” – Press Association

“FORMER LABOUR minister Ed Miliband caused a surprise last night by becoming the first challenger to win the support of the necessary number of MPs to enter the leadership race. Mr Miliband, who served as climate change secretary in the last Labour government, has 34 declared nominations – one more than needed under the rules. It is understood that a number of others have also declared their support.” – The Irish Times

“The Labour Party last night published the names of MPs who have backed their six colleagues who want to be considered for the leadership contest. The younger brother was the first to be formally nominated last night with 35 MPs already signed up, including a large contingent from Scotland: Glasgow East MP Margaret Curran; Aberdeen South’s Anne Begg; Lanark and Hamilton East MP Jimmy Hood; Dundee West MP Jim McGovern; and Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock MP Sandra Osborne.” – The Scotsman

The Contest

Labour's most likely Cameron?

“My guess is that Labour’s most likely Cameron might be Andy Burnham. I don’t say this because I favour him; I say it because he seems to me, objectively, to have the most potential to come from behind and upset the odds. Certainly the odds are not particularly in Burnham’s favour right now, so he has a big job to do to get enough nominations and to give his campaign lift-off. But if any of the candidates are going to turn this election on its head, as Cameron did in the Tory race five years ago, it could be Burnham.” – The Guardian

“I am what most Mirror readers expect Labour MPs to be. I am not Old Labour or New Labour or Next Labour. I am just Labour. I am standing for leader of the party because I want people to know that Labour is coming home. I want people to know that lessons have been learnt and never again will we let them down by trying to be a pale version of the Tories as some of the New Labour policies were.” – John McDonnell MP, The Mirror

Tom Harris

“LABOUR just lost an election.  I would recommend that anyone standing, or thinking of standing, for the leadership of our party read that sentence, repeatedly if necessary.  Because this must be the first leadership election I can remember in which not a single candidate has so far tried to address the reasons why the government (in which most of them served right up until the bitter end) has just been rejected by the electorate.

Yes, there have been the inevitable clichés and soundbites about the need to start listening on immigration. But is that it? That’s why we lost power after 13 years? I don’t think so, although our complacency in that area over a number of years certainly didn’t endear us to voters.” – Tom Harris MP

Sticks and stones

“In an attack on a contest dominated by middleaged white men, Britain’s first black woman MP said it was time the leader represented the way the party looked in 2010. She said: “The front-runners could have run in the 1950s. The candidates should represent the Labour party as it is in 2010.” The attack follows Ms Abbott’s description of David Cameron and Nick Clegg as “two posh white boys”.” – The Mirror

“LABOUR in-fighting was yesterday said to be turning the leadership race into a bloody battle. Supporters of Ed Miliband have been accused of smearing his brother David as a “robotic android”. MPs acting for him are said to have rung activists telling them his older brother lacks the “human touch”. One MP said: “They are saying David is too geeky.”” – Daily Express

The contest

“I am struck by the blandness of the Labour leadership debate so far. Almost all Labour commentators, from new Labour architect Anthony Giddens to the main leadership candidates David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham have produced an almost identical analysis: “the voters thought we had lost touch… 10p tax… crime…not taking people for granted” etc etc. The only distinctive thing about any of them so far has been Andy Burnham’s intriguing 1980s website.” – The Telegraph

“Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham said today that a failure to address concerns over immigration may have contributed to his party’s General Election defeat. The former health secretary, who earlier highlighted his “ordinary upbringing” as a way to win back disgruntled Labour supporters, claimed the party had been “in denial” about the issue.” – The Evening Standard

“Diane Abbott has stormed into Labour’s leadership race because she thinks the other candidates come from too narrow a circle. It is not hard to see why. Even though one spouse (Yvette Cooper) will no longer be doing battle with another (Ed Balls), we still face the spectacle of two brothers, David and Ed Miliband, competing to take charge of the party and so, potentially, for the chance to be premier.” – The Guardian

“Andy Burnham, one of four former cabinet ministers vying to be the next Labour leader, has announced that he is “proud” to be seen as the candidate who would carry on where Gordon Brown and Tony Blair left off. He defended the most contentious decision of the Blair years, to send British troops to war in Iraq, unlike his rivals, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, who have distanced themselves from the war.” – The Independent

“NEIL Kinnock is backing Ed Miliband in his battle against his brother David to become the next Labour leader. Former party leader Lord Kinnock said Ed had the electoral “X factor” and “the capacity to inspire people”. But ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett is backing Andy Burnham in his bid for the top job. Former foreign secretary David Miliband is the bookies’ favourite of the six candidates who plan to stand.” – The Sun

King vs. Ken

“The former Labour MP Oona King will announce today 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 – will be decided at the party conference in the autumn.” – The Guardian

Prescott for treasurer

“They say that old soldiers never die, they just fade away – but the former deputy prime minister John Prescott is not even prepared to do that. He will be 72 next birthday, in 10 days’ time, and is expected to be awarded a life peerage in Gordon Brown’s resignation honours list. And yesterday morning, “Prezza” formally launched his campaign to take one of the few jobs in politics that he has not already held: treasurer of the Labour Party.” – The Independent 

A contest of comrades

Now, with the Lib Con alliance established, Mr Balls can pursue his own ideas. Though he will not say so, there is a sense of relief that his closest ties with Mr Brown are finally severed. “I had more blazing rows with him than anyone. You had to do that sometimes to shut Gordon up.” The leadership fight is, he says, long overdue. “History will show it would have been better if Gordon stood [against Tony Blair] in 1994 and there had been a contest in 2007.”  – The Telegraph

“Look, I went through the Brown-Blair deal of 1994. I think it’s much better for the party that we have this contest. The one thing I am certain about is that David and I being in this contest will ensure this is a contest of comrades and not people trying to do each other in.” – Ed Miliband, The Guardian 

“Ed Balls is struggling to gain enough support to challenge for the Labour leadership, it was claimed last night. A well-placed Labour source said Mr Balls was having difficulty in winning the backing of the 33 MPs needed to secure his nomination.” – The Daily Mail

“Ed Miliband’s supporters do not like comparing him to his brother and there is a noticeable absence of war (and major policy differences). When pressed, they say David offers brains without charisma while Ed offers both and can therefore reconnect with Labour’s lost supporters while uniting the party. Ed Miliband’s critics claim he lacks the experience or instant judgement to handle unexpected events and would offer compromises rather than strong leadership – more Neil Kinnock (one of his main sponsors) than Mr Blair. Mr Brown is said to have described Ed Miliband as “a cross between an academic and a preacher”.” – The Independent

“The party’s ruling National Executive Committee wants to bar union bosses from writing to individual members to tell them how to vote in the contest. It has also imposed a £156,000 cap on spending by each candidate to limit any advantage for contenders whose campaigns are financed by unions. MPs were today speculating that the big loser under the reforms could be shadow education secretary Ed Balls, who is expected to win the backing of Unite general secretary Derek Simpson and other union leaders.” – The Evening Standard

“ED BALLS has been pushed out to 10/1 with Ladbrokes to be the next Labour leader as punters have deserted the ex Cabinet minister. Andy Burnham has replaced him as the shortest priced alternative to the Miliband brothers – at 8/1 – as support for the former Health Secretary continues. Diane Abbott has also shortened to 20/1 (from 25/1). David Williams of Ladbrokes said: “We’ve barely seen a penny for Balls in the past few days. Of the big players he seems to have the least momentum. Burnham is on the charge.”” – Live Odds

Iraq

“Ed Balls, the former education secretary, on Friday night became the first Labour leadership contender to condemn the invasion of Iraq by unequivocally saying it had been “wrong”. The comments, which were partially echoed by Ed Miliband, suggest a determination of the new generation of Labour high-fliers to distance themselves from the Brown-Blair years.” – Jim Pickard, The FT

“Two of the candidates attempting to become the next Labour leader have criticised the decision to invade Iraq. Ed Balls, the former children’s secretary, told the Daily Telegraph the war was “wrong” and “a mistake”. And in an interview with the Guardian former energy secretary Ed Miliband said the way the decision to go to war was taken “led to a catastrophic loss of trust in Labour”.” – The BBC

“Mr Balls said: “On the information we had we shouldn’t have prosecuted the war. We shouldn’t have changed our argument from international law to regime change in a non-transparent way. Saddam Hussein was a horrible man. I’m pleased he is no longer running Iraq. But the war was wrong.”” – The Mirror

Future direction

“Labour’s acting boss Harriet Harman must be tearing her posh hair out. The party leadership battle is turning into Mad Hattie’s tea party. Six hats are in the ring: David and Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, left-winger John McDonnell and Diane Abbott. This is becoming a Whitehall farce, with insufficient room on the stage for all the competing egos.” – The Mirror

“This contest has been anticipated for years. The line-up is roughly as predicted. But there is an unexpected context: in ways that many in the Labour Party are yet to appreciate, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has redefined the demands and prospects of opposition, as well as the shape of government.” – The Economist

“So we must be both a responsible Opposition and a strong and effective fighting force in Parliament. Because if we do not speak up for working people when their public services are threatened and their children’s futures are put at risk, then no
one will. So we must stand together and stand up to the Tories and the Lib Dems. I believe Labour’s secret weapon will be our ability and willingness to listen.” – Ed Balls, The Mirror

“Brothers David Miliband, 44, and Ed Miliband, 40, have shared almost everything in life, including a dark, serious appearance that often causes them to be mistaken for one another. First, they were classmates at Oxford, then Labour Party activists and writers, then fellow members of Parliament, then senior cabinet ministers in Gordon Brown’s government.Only now, as these political celebrities are running against each other to replace Mr. Brown as leader of the Labour Party, is it becoming apparent to casual observers that there are actual differences between the Miliband boys.” – Globe and Mail

Diane Abbott leadership bid

“The Labour leadership election gained a new lease of life today as parliament’s first black female MP, Diane Abbott, entered the race and the party extended the deadline for nominations, giving extra time for new candidates to emerge. Declaring her surprise decision to run, Abbott said all the other candidates “looked the same” and promised to fight to recapture the civil liberties agenda from the coalition of Tories and Liberal Democrats. “I looked at the field and said: ‘If not now, when? And if not me, who?'” she told Radio 4’s Today programme.” – The Guardian

“The first step would be to revive internal party democracy. If we had had genuine party democracy and a real voice for members, then the Labour government would have avoided some of its more obvious blunders, like raising pensions by a provocatively tiny eight pence, doing away with the 10p tax rate and (above all) the illegal war in Iraq. Furthermore, the reason we now have such a narrow choice of candidates to choose from is that the internal democratic structures of the party, which once provided a ladder for talent from all its wings, have been allowed to wither away.” – Diane Abbott, The Independent

“The field of candidates expanded to six after Andy Burnham, the former Health Secretary, and then Ms Abbott joined the race. Ms Abbott, a left-winger and Britain’s first black woman MP, is gatecrashing a leadership election that appeared to be a battle between five white men.” – The Times