After thirteen years in government, the Labour Party have been knocked out of the top spot by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. On the back of the defeat, Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party at the same time leaving the leadership of the party open to new candidates.
With at least 4 more years of Conservative-Lib Dem rule still to come, it’s time for the Labour party to reform under a new leader. The candidates have already started to assemble, with some unfortunate comic elements that could see the race for party leadership being renamed the “brothers balls” contest.
First to throw his hat into the ring was David Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2007-2010), and current Shadow Foreign Secretary. His experience on the international scene will serve him well as a potential front runner for the leadership race, having rubbed shoulders with the likes of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However, previous media gaffs still haunt him, so potentially his biggest challenge will be one of looking good in public or simply avoiding too much glare.
This might not be so easy to achieve when you take into the account the other contenders for the race. Firstly we have his brother and former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband. The biggest problem with this is that if you haven’t got the support of your brother then how can you expect to win over the rest of the Labour party. One of the big things in Ed Miliband’s favour is his green credentials. He was responsible for the British government’s legislative obligation of an 80% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2050, 20% higher than the 60% cut in carbon dioxide emissions that were previously announced. However, both Ed and David might suffer from the fact that they don’t look seasoned enough for party leadership, but then that didn’t stop Tony Blair, David Cameron or Nick Clegg.
Next up on the list is Ed Balls, and sadly the name alone might prove to be all the stumbling block he needs. A close ally of Gordon Brown, Balls (he’s never going to shake that tag) will more than likely have the same allies and friends as the previous leader.
Andy Burnham has also put himself forward. With experience as the former Secretary of State for Health, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, it’s possible that his rounded experience will give him a good grounding to mount a serious challenge. However, the fact that he is a relative unknown in the public eye may result in too big a hill to climb, despite his vague resemblance to Tony Blair. His dual mortgage interest claim on both his London and constituency home could also be seen as a river to cross as he is thrust more than ever into the public arena, although maybe his marriage to former head of marketing at MTV, Marie-France van Heel, will make him ready for any PR challenge.
Finally we have Diane Abbott, outspoken resident pundit on BBC1’s This Week. Being the first ever black Member of Parliament commands enough respect all by itself, but she is also well know for going her own way, frequently voting against party leadership in the past. This alone will probably divide opinions, however she will face even more scrutiny based on discrepancies in the past over declaring BBC earning for appearances on This Week, along with her decision to send her son to a private school despite her criticism of Tony Blair and Harriet Harman for doing similar.
With pros and cons for each of Labour’s 2010 party leader candidates, it’s going to be a hard fought contest; although on the face of things it would be difficult not to presume David Miliband’s front-runner status based on current opinion polls. With just over a month until the Labour Party Conference on the 25th September 2010, at which the leadership race will be announced, there’s still time for the tables to turn. Maybe he just needs to make sure he avoids slipping on any bananas.
