1704, PH: We’ll leave it there, although we’ll have more reaction on Coffee House shortly.
1702, PH: I’ve already forgotten Miliband’s final line, although it involved the phrase “new generation”. Not a great speech, but some turnaround for him over the course
of the contest.
1700, PH: Ooh, what does that mean for Ed Balls? Miliband says that, “I do believe we’ve got to reduce the deficit, but we’ve got to do more to help the country”.
1700, JF: It is what Labour MPs were calling the Doomsday scenario, Ed loses MPs and Members but wins thanks to massive support in the union section. Tonight there will be those who will
question the legitimacy of a leader who did not win the majority support of either his MPs or his party members. Ed Miliband is a talented politician and the most able communicator of all the
candidates but he has a real challenge to hold everything together over the next few weeks.
1658, PH: So far, the speech is just a series of thank-yous. Harman is the latest on the list: “the best deputy anyone could hope for”.
1656, PH: The Tories tweet that there were “cheers” in CCHQ when the result was announced.
1655, PH: Big cheers as Miliband pays tribute to Ed Balls’ campaigning skills.
1653, PH: MiliE says, “David, I love you so much as a brother.” For his part, David looks close to tears.
1652, PH: Miliband begins by thanking the party. He says that the “first thing” he needs to do is “unite the party”.
1651, PH: A brotherly hug between the Milibands, before Ed climbs up to the stage to make his victory speech.
1650, PH: It was the unions what won it for Ed. He got the union vote by 60-40.
ED MILIBAND IS THE NEW LABOUR LEADER
1650, PH: FINAL ROUND RESULTS:
David Miliband: 49.4 percent
Ed Miliband: 50.6 percent
1649, PH: THIRD ROUND RESULTS:
Ed Balls: 16 percent
David Miliband: 42.7 percent
Ed Miliband: 41.26 percent
(Ed Balls out)
1648, PH: SECOND ROUND RESULTS:
Ed Balls: 13.2 percent
Andy Burnham: 10.4 percent
David Miliband: 38.9 percent
Ed Miliband: 37.5 percent
(Andy Burnham out)
1645, PH: FIRST ROUND RESULTS:
Diane Abbott: 7.4 percent (of the total vote)
Ed Balls: 11.8 percent
Andy Burnham: 8.7 percent
David Miliband: 37.8 percent
Ed Miliband: 34.3 percent
(Diane Abbot out)
1643, PH: …although David now looks a bit brighter than Ed.
1642, PH: All of them have grins plastered across their faces. No tell-tale body language yet.
1641, PH: HERE WE GO. The candidates are oozing out into the hall. Results soon.
1639, JF: Harman just put David first, Ed second in her thanks to the candidates
1638, PH: Harman points out that Labour have overturned the Tories’ opinion poll lead. She rattles off some new membership figures.
1637, PH: Now we’re getting the serious stuff from Harman. She says Labour needs to repel the idea that “a recession that started in America was somehow our fault”.
1636, PH: A jokey start from Harman. She grins about a “Harman Institute for Political Correctness.”
1635, PH: Ok, so here’s Harman now – and the result is only a few minutes away.
1634, JF: For what it’s worth, David’s apppearance in the video gets the biggest cheer. But not long now till we actually know rather than just speculating away.
1632, PH: Another video. Then Harman. What fun.
1632, JF: Brown’s speech – which was basically a tribute to the Labour party – unsurpsingly goes down very well in the hall. But he appears to be leaving before the result is
announced.
1630, PH: And that’s that, as Brown lifts his arms like a puppet, and says “Thank you very much.” A standing ovation for what was an atypically effective effort from Brown. So:
what next?
1630, PH: Now we’re getting the gospel according to Gordon: “markets with morals,” etc.
1628, PH: A few veiled attacks on the Blairites and their attitudes towards MiliE, I think. Brown says that he will do nothing but support whoever is made the next leader.
1628, PH: Now he’s saying that he “takes complete responsibility” for Labour’s election defeat – and that the party must move on from the blame gain.
1627, PH: Brown describes Labour as “the only progressive party in the country”.
1626, JF: Brown pays tribute to the Freedom of Information act which Blair panned in A Journey.
1625, JF: Brown jokes that Blair’s autobiog is his job reference.
1624, PH: Brown tries to snatch the moral high-ground in the TB-GBs. He thanks Blair for all he achieved, and jokes about his book.
1623, PH: Brown on unusually snappy form. Now he’s jokingly thanking the press. It’s still quite grim, though.
1621, PH: Brown begins a long list of thank-yous by paying tribute to Harriet Harman. Along the way he thanks his (beleaguered) staff. He ends up by calling Sarah his “hero”. And
gags that his is the “Third Man” to his two sons.
1620, JF: Only one shot of Blair in Brown tribute video.
1619, PH: Oh look, it’s Gordon stepping out onto the stage – with Sarah in tow. He gets warm applause from the audience. Just bizarre. Brown kicks off saying that he “will
always be Labour”.
1617, JF: Now a tribute video to brown. Naomi Campbell makes it into the video, which sits rather at odds with Labour’s commitment to workplace rights.
1615, PH: Adam Boulton points out that there aren’t many Blairites around. That crowd fractured after the election.
1613, PH: Ray Collins points out that Brown “cancelled the debts” of developing countries. He adds that the “greatest debt” we owe Brown is for his actions during the financial crisis. I can’t help but think of another debt: the national debt.
1611, PH: Ray Collins describes Gordon Brown as “one of our greatest politicians”. Whoops and applause from the audience.
1610, JF: Video ends with “Don’t let anybody say we didn’t make a difference”.
1609, PH: A heavy dose of the old religion for the Manchester crowd. A video has just played showing party achievements. Now, Ray Collins, general secretary of the Labour party,
saying that the result will pick “the next Prime Minister”.
1607, PH: David Blunkett on the Beeb, saying that the contest has been “a bit bland”. He’s not wrong.
1604, PH: Oh dear. Gordon Brown is set to address the crowd for about ten minutes before the result is announced. Just what the new leader would want…
1601. PH: Worth pointing out that David Miliband said earlier that “of course” he would work under his brother. Also, if the timings are right, the candidates are being told the
results right now.
1558. JF: One other thing to watch is who comes top of the non-Miliband section. If Balls comes third, it’ll cement the boost that his campaign has given to his reputation in
the party. But if he doesn’t, the result could undo some of the progress he’s made in the last few weeks. Also worth noting that Balls is doing the Politics Show on the BBC: will he lay
out a hard economic position or wait to see which way leader Miliband wants to tack?
1552, PH: Gordon Brown is in town, although it’s thought he hasn’t voted. Add him to a list of non-voters including Harriet Harman and Nick Brown, and – and Sunder Katwala points out – they represent 1 percent of the MPs section. If the result really is all that close, then then that 1 percent could matter.
1542, JF: We are now into the over-interpreting body language stage of proceedings. One DM backer who may know the result looking chipper. But as someone just pointed out to me,
that’s just their normal countenance.
1535, JF: Having just spoken to people in both camps, it really does seem that they don’t know the result. I’m told that the candidates will be told who’s won and then
the detailed numbers. Here’s the view from inside the hall:
1531, PH: Worth checking out Adam Boulton’s schedule of events. One thing to note is that the five candidates should already know the result at 1600. They will have to maintain poker faces when they step out onto the stage just after 1630.
1530, PH: Stay tuned for live coverage of the Labour leadership result from now onwards. We’re expecting to hear the actual outcome around 1640 – but there should be plenty to report in the meantime.
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