Pro-business Labour candidates? Blairite Liz Kendall may be Labour’s best bet at winning back business confidence May 21, 2015 With candidates lining up to take over Ed Miliband as the new Labour leader, divisions in the party are appearing as it digests the General Election. In the postmortem of Labour’s election defeat, many are arguing that it was the party's lack of an aspirational message and its perceived anti-business stance that put off voters. [...]
Labour leadership contest: Tristram Hunt rules himself out as he backs Liz Kendall in race May 20, 2015 Shadow education minister Tristram Hunt has ruled himself out of the leadership race contest, endorsing Liz Kendall, shadow minister for care and older people. Hunt held a press conference today in which he said he was not prepared to stand after “the bulk of MPs are already committed to just a couple of candidates” [...]
How can Yvette Cooper and the Labour party reset their relationship with business? May 19, 2015 Labour leadership candidate Yvette Cooper caught the attention of the City yesterday when she said that she wanted to consign the party’s anti-business image to the scrapheap. Distancing herself from Labour’s former leader Ed Miliband, who stepped down following the party’s severe defeat in the General Election, Cooper said Miliband had made a “mistake” by [...]
Wider appeal isn’t what a dying Labour should worry about – it’s core voters May 19, 2015 Could Labour disappear? The party has been a prominent feature of British politics for a century, but could we now see it just vanish? There is a clear historical precedent. In 1906, the Liberal Party won 399 seats in the House of Commons. It was a great, reforming government, which laid the foundations of [...]
Dan Jarvis throws weight behind Andy Burnham in Labour leadership contest May 19, 2015 Dan Jarvis, the Labour MP seen as a dark horse contender for the leadership contest, has thrown his weight behind shadow health secretary Andy Burnham. Jarvis, MP for Barnsley Central and a former British army officer, said the party had suffered a “tragedy” during the General Election, in which the Conservatives rose to a [...]
Unite leader Len McClusky tells Labour to be the voice of the workers May 17, 2015 As Labour struggles with its identity and future after a brutal general election defeat, it’s relationship with the trades unions is coming under increasing pressure. Len McClusky, the leader of union Unite, said in an interview with the BBC that Unite could reconsider its relationship with Labour if the party does not demonstrate its dedication [...]
Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham says party must adopt pro-business approach May 17, 2015 Andy Burnham, the bookies' favourite to be next Labour leader, claims he will bring a "pro-business approach" to the party if elected. The shadow health secretary appeared on The Andrew Marr Show this morning to set his stall out as the "unifying" leadership candidate and reveal the support of Rachel Reeves, the shadow work and [...]
Chuka Umunna’s odds on becoming Mayor of London were just slashed after withdrawing from Labour leadership contest May 15, 2015 The odds of Chuka Umunna becoming the Mayor of London have been slashed after the shadow business secretary withdrew from the contest to become the next leader of the Labour party. Umunna is now 12/1 to become the new Boris, shortening from previous odds of 33/1, Paddy Power said. The MP for Streatham had been favourite [...]
Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna withdraws from Labour leadership race May 15, 2015 Labour shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has withdrawn from the race for Labour leadership, he said today. In a statement posted on his Twitter account, the Streatham MP said he had "not found [the leadership race] to be a comfortable experience". "One can imagine what running for leader can be like, understand its demands and [...]
Who will the next Labour leader be? Six things you should know about new hopeful Andy Burnham May 13, 2015 Shadow health secretary Andy Burnahm is the latest MP to join the race for Labour leadership. The party had a dismal time at the General Election, winning just 232 seats and leaving the Conservatives with an overall majority. Ed Miliband resigned as leader the very next day, and various members of the party have [...]