Left Foot Forward is keeping tabs on the endorsement of candidates during Labour's leadership election. David Miliband is narrowly in the lead with 16 to Ed's 14.
The Labour leadership is firmly underway with the candidacies of the two Miliband brothers declared. Left Foot Forward will be keeping tabs on the endorsements of all candidates during the election.
We can exclusively reveal today that David Miliband is narrowly in the lead with 16 endorsements to Ed Miliband’s 14.
• For David Miliband: Hugh Bayley, Ann Coffey, Mary Creagh, Julie Elliot, Jim Fitzpatrick, David Hanson, Alan Johnson, Anne McGuire, Pamela Nash, Chris Ruane, Anas Sarwar, Angela Smith, Mark Tami, Gareth Thomas, Valerie Vaz, and Phil Woolas
• For Ed Miliband: Hilary Benn, Roberta Blackman-Woods, Helen Goodman, Hywel Francis, Peter Hain, David Hamilton, Sadiq Khan, Ian Lucas, Grahame Morris, Stephen Pound, Linda Riordan, Andy Slaughter, Emily Thornberry, and Alan Whitehead.
The full list of Labour MPs endorsements is available here and will be updated as the leadership contest continues.
The candidates are busy today. David Miliband is announcing his candidacy in his South Shields constituency. Ed Miliband writes in today’s Daily Mirror. Ed Balls, who is expected to run, has an article in the Independent where he says, “I have not rushed to a decision on whether to stand in this contest”.
Labour’s National Executive Committee meets tomorrow to decide the timetable. This blog has taken part in a campaign to extend the contest into the autumn. Sunder Katwala at Next Left wrote yesterday that the NEC should announce:
“a short pause to ask the members, canvassing widely and openly for members’ views on what approach, ideas and timetable would enable us all to engage as many people as possible with Labour’s debate and future.”
UPDATE 17.06:
John Rentoul has suggested that I might be trying to “downplay” David Miliband’s campaign. Both lists came from the offices of the respective candidates and I am trying to clarify why it appears that some MPs were excluded from the initial lists. Watch this space.
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14 Responses to “David Miliband ahead in early endorsements”
Will Straw
Thanks for the comments. As per the update, the two lists came from the two campaigns so we’re only as good as the information we’ve been given. I’m trying to verify the other endorsements that people have suggested.
Rashidi – MPs endorsements matter because all candidates have to be nominated by 12.5% of the PLP (ie 33 MPs) and then the PLP plus 13 MEPs make up 1/3 of the electoral college. Their votes carry the same weight as around 750 members.
Alex – it’s exclusive in the sense that no-one else has bothered to compile this information and I hope we’ll become the authoritative source during the leadership contest.
Michael – couldn’t agree more. It’s a great pity that Jon Cruddas has ruled himself out this evening.
Matthew Stiles
John Rentoul is no friend of Labour. A few days before polling, he wrote that he preferred David Cameron as prime minister to Gordon Brown and only voted Labour as a tactical vote to stop Respect. Why is he now pitching in to back David Miliband is rather worrying.
Ben Spencer
Caroline Flint is supporting David.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/doncaster/Flint-urges-fast-vote-on.6291751.jp
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