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Labour leadership: Keir Starmer on course for clear victory in race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, according to new members’ poll

Survey suggests shadow Brexit secretary could win on first preference votes

Political Correspondent

Wednesday 26 February 2020 18:45 GMT

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Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer enters Labour leadership race

Sir Keir Starmer is on course to be Labour’s next leader, according to a new poll putting him comfortably ahead of his rivals in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.

It comes as the party started sending ballots to its half a million members, registered supporters and affiliates on Monday before the next leader is unveiled at a special conference on 4 April.

According to the survey by YouGov, the shadow Brexit secretary has a convincing lead over his rivals Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy and could win the support of 53 per cent of members’ first preference votes.

Ms Long-Bailey, the candidate most closely associated with Mr Corbyn’s left-wing policy agenda, would emerge with 31 per cent while Lisa Nandy, the MP for Wigan, could win 16 per cent of first preference votes, according to the survey.

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

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1/8The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Keir Starmer

The former director of public prosecutions undoubtedly has announced that he is standing for the leadership. He is highly-regarded by both left-wingers and centrists in the party. As Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, he played a key role in the party’s eventual backing of a second referendum. Before becoming an MP, he was a human rights lawyer - conducting cases in international courts including the European Court of Human Rights. Launching his bid, Starmer said that Labour must listen to the public on how to change "restore trust in our party as a force for good." A YouGov poll places him comfortably in the lead as the preferred candidate of 36% of party members

EPA

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Lisa Nandy

Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has announced she wil stand for the leadership. In a letter to the Wigan Post she said she wanted to bring Labour "home" to voters in its traditional strongholds who have abandoned the party. Nandy went on to say that she understands "that we have one chance to win back the trust of people in Wigan, Workington and Wrexham." A YouGov poll shows that Nandy is the first preference for 6% of partymembers.

Getty

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Rebecca Long Bailey

A key ally of the current left-wing leadership of the party, the Salford & Eccles MP is viewed in some quarters as the natural successor to Mr Corbyn and describes herself as a “proud socialist”. Highly regarded by the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell. She won also won plaudits for her performance filling in for Corbyn both at prime minister’s questions and during the general election debates. The shadow business secretary grew up by Old Trafford football ground and began her working life serving at the counter of a pawn shop. Launching her leadership bid, Long Bailey said the party needs to make the positive case for immigration as a "positive force." She also broke with Corbyn over Trident, saying "If you have a deterrent you have to be prepared to use it."

PA

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Angela Rayner - Deputy leadership

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has joined the contest for deputy leadership of the party. After ruling herself out of running for the leadership, the Ashton-under-Lynne MP launched her bid for deputy warning that Labour faces the "biggest challenge" in its history and must "win or die." She is close with leadership contender Rebecca Long Bailey

PA

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Rosena Allin-Khan - Deputy leadership

Shadow sport minister Rosena Allin-Khan said Labour need to listen with "humility" to lost voters as she launched her bid for the deputy leadership. Writing in The Independent, the MP for Tooting refelcted: "We shouldn’t have ignored the warning signs in Scotland, and now we’ve paid the price in northern England, across the midlands and in Wales."

PA

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Dawn Butler - Deputy leadership

Shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler was first to announce her bid for the deputy leadership. The Brent Central MP has served in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet since 2016

PA

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Ian Murray - Deputy leadership

Labour's only MP in Scotland said that the architects of the party's "catastrophic failure" in the December election can not be allowed to lead the party forward

PA

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader

Richard Burgon - Deputy leadership

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon is standing as a continuity candidate, flaunting his loyalty to Jeremy Corbyn and saying it is wrong to blame the current leader for the election defeat

PA

Under Labour’s preferential voting system, if a candidate wins 50 per cent of the votes on the first round, they win the contest outright.

Earlier on Wednesday, the shadow Brexit secretary won the endorsement of the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, claiming he was the “best person to unite” Labour and put the party in government for the first time in over a decade.

Jenny Chapman, a former Labour MP who is chairing Sir Keir’s campaign for the leadership, described the polling results as “encouraging”.

Among members of the left-wing group Momentum – set up to support Mr Corbyn’s policy agenda – 71 per cent of those questioned said they would back Ms Long-Bailey, while 19 per cent opted for Sir Keir and 10 per cent for Ms Nandy.

The survey also showed Angela Rayner, the education secretary, ahead of the other candidates in the deputy leadership by a significant margin. She could win 47 per cent of first preference votes while her closest competitor, Richard Burgon, may win the support of 19 per cent of members.

The poll was commissioned by Sky News and surveyed 1,323 Labour members between 20 and 25 February.

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