Labour runners and riders: Which female MP could succeed Jeremy Corbyn as party leader?

John McDonnell says the next Labour leader needs to be a woman

John McDonnell has said the next Labour leader must be a woman, after the party's ruling body reignited the debate by backing the creation of a new female deputy leader position.

Labour has never elected a female leader, although senior women MPs Harriet Harman and Margaret Beckett have both temporarily held the position.

While Jeremy Corbyn has no plans to resign, The Independent looks at possible runners and riders to be the first female Labour leader.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott (Getty)

Diane Abbott

Diane Abbott has bounced back from a difficult period during last year’s general election campaign to remain a key player in Jeremy Corbyn’s top team.

The shadow home secretary was replaced temporarily after a series of gaffes, later saying she suffered from type 2 diabetes which had affected her performance.

However, with her condition back under control, Ms Abbott was quickly reinstated, alongside a Labour leader who has been a key ally since they were both North London councillors in the 1970s.

This year, she has made her mark on the crucial immigration debate, vowing to end Theresa May’s “hostile environment” immigration policies and close the Yarl's Wood and Brook House detention centres.

Ms Abbott also said Labour would accept more skilled migrants, offering more rights of work, residency and accelerated citizenship to a range of professions, based on the needs of the economy.

She has run for the leadership already – in 2010, losing to Ed Miliband as the only woman in a field of five, securing 7.2 per cent of the votes.

Chances of becoming Labour leader: 2/5

Angela Rayner, Labour's shadow education secretary (Getty)

Angela Rayner

The Ashton-under-Lyne MP has emerged as one of the more assured performers in the shadow cabinet, and her down-to-earth nature has won her plenty of fans.

Ms Rayner rose swiftly through the Labour ranks since being elected in 2015, becoming a shadow pensions minister within months of her arrival then taking on the shadow education brief in 2016.

She is a popular media performer, speaking openly about how becoming a single mum in her teens “saved me”, on leaving school without any qualifications and the prejudices faced by working-class MPs.

Her background has set her apart in a parliament often accused of being too pale, male and stale - and she is regarded as being refreshingly un-tribal, despite Labour's deep divisions.

The 38-year-old former trade unionist also became parliament's youngest grandmother last year, announcing the news on Twitter using the hashtag #grangela.

Chance of becoming Labour leader: 3/5

Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary (Getty)

Rebecca Long-Bailey

The shadow business secretary is highly regarded by Jeremy Corbyn’s team and a close ally of John McDonnell, who has described her as part of the “next generation of our socialist leadership”.

A former solicitor, she is fresh, energetic and seen as completely loyal to Mr Corbyn, having endorsed his leadership bid within weeks of being elected as an MP in 2015.

The Salford and Eccles MP is also highly regarded by key trade unionists, including Unite’s Len McCluskey. Her leadership prospects will depend heavily on securing their backing and on Team Corbyn using its considerable sway to promote her as the chosen successor to the current leader – if, of course, they decide that is what she should be.

Her problem will be a lack of profile, and experience, compared to other potential candidates such Emily Thornberry and Diane Abbott.

3/5

Shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry (PA)

Emily Thornberry

Emily Thornberry is seen by many as the heir apparent to Jeremy Corbyn. While not a historic Corbynista, the London MP has skilfully manoeuvred herself into a position right behind the leader.

Her faux pas over white van men has been forgotten and she has been embraced as a champion of the new movement.

Her undoubted ability on camera and to sardonically nail her opposite number when standing in for Corbyn at PMQs has also not gone unnoticed.

She was also named by the leader of Unite, Labour's biggest financial backer, as the likely successor to the leader. Oddly enough under the new rules, she may find herself in tougher competition than she expects to win the union backing she needs in a leadership contest, but she still has to be seen as the frontrunner.

4/5

Alison McGovern MP (Getty)

Alison McGovern

The Wirral South MP could be in with an outside chance as a potential successor to Mr Corbyn, as the candidate for the centre left.

The 37-year-old has also carved out a niche for herself as a prominent pro-EU campaigner, leading Labour's campaign for the single market and working with the People's Vote group to fight for a fresh Brexit referendum.

After being elected in 2010, Ms McGovern became a parliamentary aide to Gordon Brown and then held a series of shadow ministerial posts in international development, education and the Treasury.

However as chair of the Blairite group Progress, Ms McGovern is no Corbynista, which would likely count against her if she did harbour leadership ambitions. She left the front bench when Mr Corbyn became leader in 2015, remaining active on the back benches and in the Treasury committee.

Chances of becoming Labour leader: 1/5

Labour MP Laura Pidcock (Getty Images)

Laura Pidcock

The 31-year-old newcomer, Laura Pidcock, has many fans on the left of the Labour Party and despite being elected just over a year ago at the 2017 snap election, Jeremy Corbyn asked her to serve as a shadow minister on his frontbench in January. She is currently away from parliament on maternity leave after giving birth to her son just eight weeks ago.

While it is probably too early for her to take a punt at the leadership - if she has such ambitions - the MP for North West Durham might throw her hat in the ring for the deputy leadership position and will likely be welcomed by the membership of the party.

She first attracted widespread media attention after saying she had no intention of being "cosy" with Conservative MPs, adding: "Whatever type they are, I have absolutely no intention of being friends with any of them."

Asked earlier this year about any leadership ambitions, she told the New Statesman: "If you say 'no', which is my natural instinct... people might criticise you for maybe not being loyal enough - 'if that was asked of you, would you not step up? But I am genuinely not interested."

Chances of becoming Labour leader: 1/5