Who would get your vote in the Labour leadership contest?

The weekend papers were full of speculation about the Labour leadership contest, which as it draws to a close appears to be a nail-bitingly close finish between the Brothers Miliband.

According to pollster YouGov, Ed Miliband is set to sneak victory by the closest of margins after second preferences are taken into account; though the poll didn’t appear to take into account the votes of MPs and MEPs who control one-third of Labour’s electoral college. This is not, after all, a party which believes all votes should be equal, whether in Parliamentary constituencies or in their own leadership race.

I pinned my colours to the mast a couple of weeks ago, saying I thought that Labour would be best-placed choosing David Miliband as their leader: he’s the only one of the five candidates who has the necessary credibility.

However, in common with most Lib Dems I know, when I took part in the online Vote Match survey, I learned that Diane Abbott is actually if narrowly closer to my views on a range of issues than the other Labour contenders. This is probably not that surprising: back in June, the Voice noted that Diane is the most liberal of the five.

We polled Lib Dem members on their views of who would make the best Labour leader at the end of May, when the contest has barely begun. At the time, Ed Miliband was widely regarded as the ‘one to watch’. We’ll shortly be asking party members again to see if views have altered over the summer.

But in the meantime, let’s open it out to the thread: if you were a Labour party member — or are a trade unionist or other affiliated association member who actually does have a vote — who would you vote for to be the party’s next leader? And why?

Over to you…

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29 Comments

  • Colin Green 13th Sep '10 - 8:17am

    I’d always thought David Milliband was the best of the bunch, with Dianne Abbot in second as an outside bet. I’ve just done the vote match thing and it turns out that Ed Milliabd and Dianne Abbot are a joint best match. Basically anyone but Balls will do.

  • Richard Hill 13th Sep '10 - 8:33am

    I would not and will not be voting for any of them. From my point of view probably the best one to win would be Ed Miliband. It appears David might not like that and refuse a shadow role therefore showing a split in the Labour Party from the start. After weeks of them trying to split the coalition it would be nice to have a big gap like that to get a lever into.

  • LightbulbLee 13th Sep '10 - 8:41am

    It would be Dianne Abbot for me. I thought this before just from ‘knowing’ her from This Week. Then I did the vote match thing and that seemed to agree.

  • Simon Wilson 13th Sep '10 - 9:00am

    I’d vote Andy Burnham

  • I do hope the eventual winner gets in thanks to second preferences – would surely bind them into campaigning enthusiastically for AV ahead of next May’s referendum!

  • John Fraser 13th Sep '10 - 9:33am

    If you check out Mike smithsons political web site it seems the poll has factored the MPs and MEPs in. Its going to be mighty close.

    Based on the campaigning Ed Miliband may well ditch new labour and turn the party into a left of centre organisation with at least reasonable civil liberties credentials.

  • I’ve already voted — for David Miliband as my first preference and Ed Balls as my second.

  • I don’t know about who should win but yet again my union has (not for the first time) sent me a ballot paper despite my never having paid the political levy.

    What should I do? Put it on EBay and donate the proceeds to Liberal Democrat funds? Send them a message? Answers on a postcard please…..

  • “though the poll didn’t appear to take into account the votes of MPs and MEPs who control one-third of Labour’s electoral college”

    Then it’s not nearly accurate enough an indication of what the final result could be. MPs from across the whole PLP, from Dennis Skinner to David Blunkett, are supporting David Miliband. He has those votes, and the leadership, in the bag. I hope this poll causes Ed’s supporters to become complacent, because I’d rather he got elected – he poses the least threat to the Lib Dems.

  • Well I never, I came out for Abbott too, with David M. a distant 4th.

    No bad thing if he does get the job then, as allows LDs some space to make sure there is as much between them and Lab as there (still) is between them and the Cons.

  • Andrew Duffield 13th Sep '10 - 11:17am

    Andy ‘LVT’ Burnham – no contest!

  • Ed Miliband, Dianne Abbot and Andy Burnham are excellent candidates but I don’t think they would take Labour far from its comfort zone.

    @ Richard Hill

    Labour won’t split over the Miliband brothers. Splits kept the party out of power for a generation. They have learned.

  • @Stephen Tall
    The fact that Vote Match showed Dianne Abbott to be close to your own political values says more about the quality of Vote Match than Dianne Abbott’s politics.

  • Id probably vote for David Milliband. But I certainly agree with Andy Burnham that some measure of reform of the leadership selection process is necessary.

  • I would vote for Ed Miliband.

  • “though the poll didn’t appear to take into account the votes of MPs and MEPs who control one-third of Labour’s electoral college.”

    Actually I think it did. For that part of the electorial college, the poll used the tally from left-foot forward, and then split second preference evenly between Ed and David Miliband – the eventual result for that part of the college was David 56%, Ed 44%

    http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/2799

  • Ed M 68%
    David M 55%
    EB & DA tied on 46%

    Does this make me an orange-booker?

  • Diane Abbott would have some credibility and I would have some respect for her… IF she had cross-benched at the time of the Iraq war. However, staying with and supporting the party you claim took a deeply immoral decision when you had a perfectly good party to switch to loses her, IMHO, all credibility. She can’t have her cake and eat it.

  • Patrick Smith 13th Sep '10 - 5:38pm

    The outcome of choosing a winner in the Labour Party Leadership Election -decided by AV on 25/9/10- is superceded by the `multiple voting’ method used when the Liberal Democrat Leadership and Presidential Elections are decided by one member one vote in comparison.

    Labour MP`s clearly have more influence in the PLP as each can lawfully under their current constitutional rules, cast 8 or 10 votes or more, for the same candidate, since many belong to one of the 15 affiliate TU`s and either the Fabian Society or the Fabians or the like.Each Labour affiliate group has an entitlement to a separate ballot vote.

    Thus the Labour Party `multilpe voting’ is the more undemocratic when applied to scrutiny and to actually attempt to justify `fairness’ and `equality’ in such a ballot sytem suspends belief.

    Any notion goes to the wall that the Labour Party Leadership Election seeks to provide a level playing field in individual voter recognition and candidate choice to its members.

    Although the Labour would claim that they are seeking to elect a representative candidate from Parliament,TU`s and their membership (3 Colleges) the fact remains that most MP`s and MEP`s will be casting several more votes than the ordinary members.

    I believe as a Liberal Democrat in one member one vote and subscribe that process and flippant attitude to uneven numbers of votes held in the Labour Party between MEPs ,MPs and Trade Unionists should be reformed by whoever wins the quixotic Leadership contest, on this top down basis.

  • matt severn 13th Sep '10 - 8:04pm

    If I was a Labour member, I would take one look at the current crop and vote for RON- as in re-open nominations

  • I was amazed to find myself more in line with Diane Abbott’s views using Vote match, although I consider myself to be to the right of the Liberal Democrats on many issues.
    Aren’t we still waiting for a reply from Guido Fawkes or is he shy of revealing his Labour credentials?

  • These are my reulst from vote match

    Diane Abbott: 78%
    Ed Miliband: 46%
    Ed Balls: 43%
    David Miliband: 27%

    Not too surprised but would have expected a slightly lower score for Dianne Abbott and a higher Score for Ed Miliband

  • amanda what is a good liberal democrat these days?

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