Labour hopefuls line up bids to replace Ed Miliband: Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham, Chuka Umunna and Yvette Cooper top contenders May 11, 2015 Liz Kendall yesterday became the first Labour MP to officially announce a campaign to succeed Ed Miliband as party leader. Kendall is a rising star in the party, impressing as a shadow health minister and in the media. Liz Kendall Chuka Umunna The charismatic and business-friendly Chuka Umunna is one of [...]
Labour urged to shift to the centre by Tony Blair and Chuka Umunna following General Election defeat May 10, 2015 Labour is being urged to re-focus on the centre ground in the wake of its devastating General Election performance – its worst since 1987. Senior figures associated with the party have argued that the defeated Ed Miliband did not do enough to win over aspirational voters and spent too much time attacking job creators and [...]
General Election 2015 results: Who will be the next Labour leader? Runners and riders – Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Chuka Umunna May 8, 2015 It's official. Labour leader Ed Miliband is on his way out. It follows the Labour party's awful performance in this year's general election where they lost a total of 26 seats, and the decline came as the SNP swept to victory in Scotland clinching a total of 56 seats. The shock outcome will now see the [...]
London’s General Election: On the trail with Labour’s business star Chuka Umunna May 5, 2015 Our third seat profile sees Charlotte Henry talk to shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna in his Streatham seat. Find the first profile in our series here: Battle for Poplar and Limehouse at the edge of the City Find the second profile here: Lib Dem Bermondsey battler Simon Hughes still going strong Under Ed Miliband’s leadership, Labour’s [...]
Clapham Junction train chaos: Incompetence leads to more travel delays for commuters, says Chuka Umunna April 30, 2015 Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said last night that “everyday incompetence, more than extraordinary circumstance,” is causing repeated travel delays for London commuters. Umunna’s comments came after a day of disastrous travel for south Londoners. An electrical problem at Clapham Junction prompted the cancellation of all trains in and out of Victoria station, leaving [...]
General Election 2015: A Labour government could turn to Michael Heseltine, says Chuka Umunna April 24, 2015 Labour could turn to the business expertise of former Conservative deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine if it wins the election. Speaking to the Guardian, the shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, said Heseltine was a “visionary” whose advice could benefit Labour’s plans for regional devolution. Labour is expecting to set aside £30bn for devolution if it comes [...]
Chuka Umunna says corporate boardrooms need more diversity April 20, 2015 Chuka Umunna would aim for Britain’s boardrooms to have at least 14 per cent BME members if Labour win the General Election, “We have got to go further and look at not just gender diversity but ethnic diversity in British business leadership,” the shadow business secretary told the Evening Standard yesterday. Over half of the UK’s [...]
General Election 2015: Is the Labour Party divided as Chuka Umunna splits with Ed Miliband on 50p tax rate? April 15, 2015 Labour's shadow business secretary has left the door open to a future Labour government dropping the 50p top rate of income tax once the deficit is significantly reduced. The 50p rate was introduced during the dying days of Gordon Brown's government and was later cut by the coalition to 45p. The 50p rate was popular [...]
Labour party confused over austerity: Chuka Umunna clashes with Jim Murphy as Nicola Sturgeon soars in the polls April 13, 2015 As Labour attempts to claw back its credibility on the economy, two senior figures appear to be at odds with the party's approach to austerity. Ed Miliband presented Labour's manifesto in Manchester today with an eye-catching budget responsibility lock. Labour claimed their manifesto was fully costed and required no extra borrowing with the current deficit [...]
Chuka Umunna blasts Ukip as anti-business after CBI speech March 17, 2015 Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has branded Nigel Farage’s Ukip anti-business, due to its determination to take Britain out of the EU. He told City A.M.: “I do think Ukip is an anti-business party. There’s no doubt about that.” He was similarly critical of the coalition’s approach. “I think this government has compromised not only [...]