2010 Labour Party leadership election (UK)
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The 2010 Labour Party leadership election was triggered on 10 May, three days after the 2010 general election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Conservative Party holding the most seats. Prime Minister Gordon Brown initially announced his intent to step down as Leader of the Labour Party, saying he hoped a new leader would be in place in time for the Labour Party Conference in September[1] and "to ask the Labour Party to set in train the processes needed for its own leadership election".[2] On 11 May, Brown resigned as both Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party.[3] Labour Party officials announced that the National Executive Committee had decided the timetable for the election and that the results would be announced at the annual party conference on 25 September.[4][5]
Procedure
The rules of the Labour Party state that "each nomination [for leader] must be supported by 12.5 per cent of the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party."[6] As the number of Labour MPs is 257 (258 returned at the general election[7] minus Eric Illsley, who was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party)[8] 33 MPs need to support any nomination. Nominations opened on 24 May and were to close on 27 May,[9] but the deadline was extended to 9 June after complaints from McDonnell, Abbott and Ed Miliband that the short deadline provided insufficient time to secure the 33 nominations from MPs needed for inclusion on the ballot.[4][10] The ballot will take between 16 August and 22 September, with results to be announced on the first day of the party's conference in Manchester.[5] There will be three distinct electorates, the electors of which will cast their votes on a "one member, one vote" basis in each applicable category:
- Labour members of the House of Commons and the European Parliament
- Individual members of the party
- Individual members of affiliated organisations, such as trade unions and socialist societies.
Each electorate or section shall contribute one third of the total votes. The election will be run by the National Executive Committee and the results will be announced at the annual conference in September 2010.[6]
Candidates
At a meeting of the Cabinet held on 10 May 2010, it was agreed that no one would announce their candidacy until after formal negotiations in regards to forming a government were resolved.[11] The Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats formed a coalition on 11 May, and David Miliband became the first person to announce his candidacy the following day. A total of six candidates emerged by 20 May:
- Diane Abbott, announced 20 May 2010.[12]
- Ed Balls, announced 19 May 2010.[13]
- Andy Burnham, announced 20 May 2010.[14]
- John McDonnell, announced 18 May 2010.[15] Withdrew 9 June 2010.[16]
- David Miliband, announced 12 May 2010.[17]
- Ed Miliband, announced 14 May 2010.[18]
On 9 June 2010, after it became mathematically impossible for all six candidates to receive the 33 nominations required, John McDonnell withdrew from the contest in favour of Diane Abbott, who eventually made the ballot paper.
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Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, first female black MP in the House of Commons. -
The Rt Hon. Ed Balls, MP for Morley and Outwood since 2010 and for Normanton from 2005 to 2010, and former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. -
![The Rt Hon. Andy Burnham, MP for Leigh since 2001 and former Secretary of State for Health.[19]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Andrew_Burnham%2C_September_2009_1_cropped.jpg/80px-Andrew_Burnham%2C_September_2009_1_cropped.jpg)
-
![The Rt Hon. David Miliband, MP for South Shields since 2001 and former Foreign Secretary.[20]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/David_Miliband_11_April_2007.JPG/89px-David_Miliband_11_April_2007.JPG)
-
![The Rt Hon. Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North since 2005 and former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.[18]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Miliband%2C_Ed_%282007%29.jpg/98px-Miliband%2C_Ed_%282007%29.jpg)
The Rt Hon. Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North since 2005 and former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.[18]
![The Rt Hon. Andy Burnham, MP for Leigh since 2001 and former Secretary of State for Health.[19]](/wiki/File:Andrew_Burnham,_September_2009_1_cropped.jpg)
![The Rt Hon. David Miliband, MP for South Shields since 2001 and former Foreign Secretary.[20]](/wiki/File:David_Miliband_11_April_2007.JPG)
![The Rt Hon. Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North since 2005 and former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.[18]](/wiki/File:Miliband,_Ed_(2007).jpg)
Nominations
Candidates must receive nominations from 12.5 per cent of 257 Parliamentary Labour Party members (33) to appear on the ballot.
| Candidate | Nominations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Diane Abbott | 33 | 12.84% |
| Ed Balls | 33 | 12.84% |
| Andy Burnham | 33 | 12.84% |
| John McDonnell | (withdrew)[21] | - |
| David Miliband | 81 | 31.52% |
| Ed Miliband | 63 | 24.51% |
| Undeclared | 14 | 5.45% |
John McDonnell had 16 nominations until he withdrew on 9 June 2010.
Source: Labour.org.uk, as of 8 June 2010[update]
Noteworthy MPs who declined to stand
Some MPs seen as potential candidates decided against doing so:
- Yvette Cooper[22] – supporting Ed Balls (her husband), former Work and Pensions Secretary
- Jon Cruddas[22] – supporting Diane Abbott,[23] backbencher who stood for Deputy Leader in 2007
- Alistair Darling[22] – supporting David Miliband,[24] former Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Peter Hain[25] – supporting Ed Miliband,[25] former Wales Secretary, previously Northern Ireland and Work and Pensions Secretary
- Harriet Harman[22] – neutral but nominating Diane Abbott,[26] acting leader following Gordon Brown's departure, former Leader of the House of Commons
- Alan Johnson[22] – supporting David Miliband,[27] former Home Secretary, previously Health Secretary and Education Secretary
- Jack Straw[22] – Nominated and supporting Diane Abbott, former Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, previously Foreign and Home Secretary
See also
- Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2007
- Labour Party (UK) deputy leadership election, 2007
- Labour Party Rule Book
References
- ^ Hoskin, Peter (10 May 2010). "Gordon Brown announces his resignation". The Spectator. The Spectator (1828) Ltd. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Sheridan, Michael (10 May 2010). "Prime Minister Gordon Brown resigns; plans to step down in September". New York Daily News. NYDailyNews.com. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ "Gordon Brown 'stepping down as Labour leader'". BBC News. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ a b "PLP nominations period for Leadership Election to close on 9 June". Labour Party. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
- ^ a b "New Labour leader to be elected at September conference". BBC News. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^ a b Chris Lennie, Acting General Secretary, ed. (2008). "4". The Labour Party Rule Book 2008 (PDF). London: The Labour Party. pp. 24–25. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ "Election 2010". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
{{cite news}}: Text "date 7 May 2010" ignored (help) - ^ "Labour MP charged over expenses". BBC News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ "Labour's NEC agrees timetable for the election of next Leader of the Labour Party". Labour Party. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
- ^ "Labour extends leadership race deadline". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Curtis, Polly (10 May 2010). "David Miliband and Ed Balls set to launch Labour leadership bids". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
{{cite news}}: Text "Politics" ignored (help); Text "The Guardian" ignored (help) - ^ "Diane Abbott enters Labour leadership contest". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Ed Balls announces he will stand for Labour leader". BBC News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Andy Burnham enters Labour leadership contest". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Labour leadership race discredited, says MP McDonnell". BBC News. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jun/09/john-mcdonnell-withdraws-labour-leadership-race
- ^ Allegra Stratton, political correspondent. "David Miliband announces Labour leadership bid". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Ed Miliband to take on brother David in leader battle". BBC News. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Andy Burnham enters Labour leadership contest". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Labour leadership: David Miliband enters contest". BBC News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10271228.stm
- ^ a b c d e f "Labour leadership contest: Runners and riders". The BBC. 26 May, 2010. Retrieved 31 May, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Jon Cruddas backs Diane Abbott for Labour leader". International Business Times. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (1 June 2010). "Alistair Darling backs David Miliband for Labour leadership". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ a b "David Miliband hails 'next Labour' as he opens leadership bid". Times Online. 17 May 2010.
- ^ "Harriet Harman nominates Diane Abbott for Labour leadership". The Independant. June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "Alan Johnson backs David Miliband for Labour leadership". The Daily Telegraph. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
External links
Party websites
- Labour Party website
- Rules governing Labour leadership elections (Reuters)
- Labour Party Rule Book 2008 (PDF)