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