Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Labour leadership campaign: who might have a pop?

So there could be a Labour leadership contest coming up. Who might have a pop?

Chuka Umunna: Some members of staff in Ed Miliband’s team had concluded Chuka Umunna was worth giving serious assistance to, having concluded that their current boss was a goner a while ago. The smooth Blairite Shadow Business Secretary has also been very good at charming colleagues in the party, taking time to have coffee with those who Miliband has ignored. He believes he has the support of the party’s New Labour wing, mostly represented by Progress.

Andy Burnham: If Umunna has the Blairites sewn up, Burnham has the other side of the party. He has clearly positioned himself as a man of the left, a populist figure who sends the Labour conference to raptures. He describes himself as ‘mainstream Labour’ .

Dan Jarvis: Super-ambitious and super-able. Benefits from not being a frontrunner. Respected across the House but also liked by colleagues. He has not made it higher than a junior post, but his experience in Afghanistan and even a distance from the Labour leadership will benefit him.

Liz Kendall: Very ambitious, but not as ambitious as some of those around her, who see her as the future of the party. Many admire her empathy and enthusiasm for communicating Labour ideals. If the party thinks it needs to fight an election in the centre ground, this Blairite who is still happy to say things like ‘what matters is what works’ would be a good pick.

Yvette Cooper: It’s never fully clear whether Cooper wants to be Labour leader, or whether she’d firstly like to be thought of as Labour leader and secondly like to dispel some of the negative briefings against her by fellow shadow cabinet members. Had a good spell towards the end of the parliament, tripping up Theresa May on the European Arrest Warrant, for instance.

Tristram Hunt: Another ambitious Blairite who some see as a contender. But he has not had an easy ride as Shadow Education Secretary, and has offended some colleagues with a flippant manner.

Others who are considered up for it by party colleagues: Luciana Berger, Rachel Reeves (though some think she really isn’t up for it), Lisa Nandy.

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