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WBK,
There are 4 leadership contenders, 3 women and 1 man. To be honest,
Labour can never hope to come back to power for the next 50 years if
any of the women is chosen., which leaves only Andy Burnham. Yvette
Coper is the wife of Ed balls, the former shadow Chancellor and Gordon
Brown henchman who would have been a candidate himself if he had not
lost in the elections. She has already made a calamitous start by
condemning Ed Milliband's policies and yet she was a member of Mr
Milliband's and her husband's senior electoral team. The other two
women are complete unknowns, even me as a party member had never heard
of them before. In short these three women could only ever make Labour
electable if some major calamity befell David Cameron, an economic
collapse, sex scandal or such like, otherwise Labour stands no chance
in the 2010 elections with any of them in charge. Which leaves only
Andy Burnham. He was a minister under Balir and Brown and is from the
left of the party and has the backing of the trade unions. Whther or
not he succeeds in building up a new strtegy and correspnding vision
for Labour remains to be seen. Ed Milliband is said to have failed to
address the concerns of middle England and of Scotland. The new leader
will have to come up with policies that address the interests of what
they are now calling the "aspirational class", namely people who want
to earn high salaries, get mortgages, own cars, and save pension
nests,invest in small businesses, people Labour is presumed to have
abandoned in favour of policies like the free NHS, Taxing the rich,
Defending Social Welfare etc.
George Okello
UK Politics Labour leadership: Likely contenders
24 May 2015From the section UK Politics
The race to succeed Ed Miliband as Labour leader is well under way
following the party's general election defeat.
Candidates are attempting to gather the 35 MPs' signatures they
require to make it onto the ballot paper.
Deputy leader Harriet Harman, who has taken temporary charge, says she
will stand down once a new leader and deputy are elected.
So who are the current and potential candidates to succeed Mr
Miliband? And who is vying for the deputy leader job?
Labour leadership contenders
Liz Kendall
Shadow health minister Liz Kendall was the first Labour MP to say they
wanted a crack at the party's top job, saying a "fundamentally new
approach" was needed.
First elected to Parliament in 2010 as MP for Leicester West and
appointed to the shadow front bench the same year, Ms Kendall is seen
as a Blairite contender.
She is a former special adviser to Harriet Harman and then Health
Secretary Patricia Hewitt who has argued for reform of public
services.
In an interview for The House magazine in January, she said there
"will remain a role" for private and voluntary firms in the health
service, "where they can add extra capacity to the NHS or challenge to
the system".
Could she be a fresh face to lead a change of direction for Labour, or
seen as too inside the Westminster bubble?
Andy Burnham
The Labour MP for Leigh since 2001, Andy Burnham has plenty of
government experience and is the current bookies' favourite.
Mr Burnham served as health secretary under Gordon Brown and
previously as culture secretary and chief secretary to the Treasury.
He stood for the leadership in 2010 but lost out to Ed Miliband, going
on to hold the shadow health brief under Mr Miliband's leadership. He
is said to have strong trade union support.
Declaring his intention to stand, he said Labour must support the
"aspirations of everyone".
Yvette Cooper
Another former chief secretary to the Treasury - as well as a work and
pensions minister under Gordon Brown - Yvette Cooper has been shadow
home secretary for the past four years.
A strong Commons performer, she has given Home Secretary Theresa May a
hard time over matters including passport delays, border controls and
extremism.
She did not stand to succeed Mr Brown in 2010, in favour of her
husband, Ed Balls.
Announcing her bid this time around, she said: "Our promise of hope
wasn't strong enough to drown out the Tory and UKIP voices of fear.
That's what we need to change."
Mary Creagh
The shadow international development secretary has announced her
intention to join the race for the Labour leadership, via an article
in the Daily Mail
Ms Creagh joined parliament in 2005 as the MP for Wakefield, gaining
experience in government as an assistant whip in 2009-10.
She's also held various shadow cabinet positions in opposition, most
notably as shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural
affairs - and transport.
Ms Creagh held onto her brief as international development secretary
in acting Labour leader Harriet Harman's recent reshuffle of the
shadow cabinet.
Labour deputy leadership contenders
Rushanara Ali
Rushanara Ali announced her intention to run for Labour's deputy
leadership claiming the party had become "unelectable".
She was first elected in 2010 in Bethnal Green and Bow, defeating
incumbent MP George Galloway.
She served as shadow education minister until September last year,
when she resigned from the party's front bench in order to abstain in
the vote on air strikes against Islamic State extremists in Iraq.
On the future direction for Labour, she said the party needed to be
"radical" and "take risks", adding : "I think it's time for my
generation to roll up their sleeves and get to work."
She says supporters of her campaign include shadow education secretary
Tristram Hunt and former minister Keith Vaz.
Caroline Flint
The MP for Don Valley has been Labour's shadow energy and climate
change secretary since 2011, after a stint heading up the Department
for Communities and Local Government.
Ms Flint held on to her current position in the latest shadow cabinet reshuffle.
She also held various ministerial positions during Gordon Brown's
premiership, but famously resigned from as Europe minister after
accusing him of treating her and her female colleagues as "window
dressing".
Gloria de Piero
A former GMTV presenter, Gloria de Piero joined Parliament as the MP
for Ashfield in 2010.
She immediately rose to shadow ministerial ranks, taking on a culture,
media and sport brief and then home affairs.
Since 2013 she's been a shadow minister for women and equalities,
being one of Harriet Harman's team on Labour's woman-to-woman "pink
bus" campaign.
Tom Watson
The MP for West Bromwich since 2001. He has made a name for himself as
a prominent backbench campaigner against phone hacking and child sex
abuse.
He also played a minor role in the toppling of Tony Blair after
resigning as a defence minister and calling for the-then PM to quit in
the interest of party and country.
Watson became Labour's campaign chief under Ed Miliband but he quit
after a he became embroiled in a row about the role of the Unite union
in the candidate selection in Falkirk.
Setting out his pitch for the job, he said: "I'm seeking the deputy
leadership to do one thing: write and execute the election battle plan
so that our new leader will be prime minister."
Stella Creasy
The Walthamstow MP has a growing reputation as a hard-working campaigning MP.
Another from the 2010 intake, she was praised for campaign against
payday loans companies, and has a strong following on social media.
She told the Sunday Mirror: "Too many voters think Labour is no longer
a movement for social justice but a machine that only kicks in to gear
at election time."
Angela Eagle
Shadow environment secretary Angela Eagle plans to travel the country
to speak to people who did the "hard graft" in the election campaign.
The MP for Wallasey said Labour could not be "complacent" if it was to
reverse its general election defeat.
Ms Eagle, an MP since 1992, held a number of ministerial jobs during
the last Labour government and in 2013 became chair of the Labour
Party.
She is arguably best-known for having a twin sister, Maria, who is
also a Labour MP.
Ben Bradshaw
A former journalist and Labour cabinet minister, Ben Bradshaw has been
the MP for Exeter since 1997.
He plans a "big tent" approach to ensure Labour does not miss out on
votes in the south of England, saying the party has to "broaden its
appeal".
Reflecting on who should replace Ed Miliband, he said: "I would prefer
to see one of the new generation come forward rather than someone
associated with the Blair and Brown era.
"If we really want to win in 2020 - and I think we need to for the
country's sake - I would like to see someone from the new generation
without that baggage from the past."
Labour candidates for London Mayor
David Lammy
The MP for Tottenham was the first person to publicly weigh up a
leadership bid, telling the BBC that he would consider standing if
colleagues wanted him to.
But he's ruled himself out of the top job, saying his principal aim is
to become Labour's candidate for Mayor of London in 2016.
"I think we need a leader that can win back the Midlands understand
Scotland as well as the south.
"Actually we need to do better in London, my strengths are in London
and the south therefore I want to be the Labour candidate for Mayor,"
he told the BBC's Daily Politics programme.
One of the most prominent black MPs in the party, the former former
barrister is regarded as being on the right of the party, having
served as a minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
His national profile rose during the 2011 riots in London, when he
appealed for calm and reconciliation in the wake of the fatal shooting
of Mark Duggan in his north London constituency.
Tessa Jowell
Dame Tessa Jowell was a key figure at the heart of New Labour - she
once said she would "jump under a bus" for Tony Blair.
The former Dulwich and West Norwood MP, who stood down at the general
election after 20 years in Parliament, earned widespread plaudits for
the role she played in London's bid for the 2012 Olympics and her
subsequent performance as Olympics minister.
She has vowed to bring "Olympic-like discipline" to changing London,
promising to build more affordable homes.
The former culture secretary, who was a psychiatric social worker
before entering politics, is seen as one of the frontrunners in the
race to be Labour's mayoral candidate, with one poll suggesting she is
backed by 40% of Labour supporters.
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan launched his bid to be London mayor with an attack on
incumbent Boris Johnson, describing him as a "red carpet mayor,
somebody who is fantastic going to openings, great with a flute of
champagne in his hands".
"I'd rather roll up my sleeves and fight for all Londoners," he added.
The son of a bus driver, Mr Khan worked as a human rights solicitor
before becoming an MP in 2005. He is shadow London minister.
A close ally of former Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr Khan served in
junior ministerial roles in Gordon Brown's government.
Diane Abbott
A familiar face to viewers of BBC One's This Week, Diane Abbott is a
veteran left winger who first entered the Commons in 1987, as one of
Britain's first black MPs.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP was shadow public health
spokesman under Ed Miliband, after losing out to him in the 2010
Labour leadership contest.
Launching her mayoral bid, she said she would bring London's
communities together and be the "genuinely independently minded Mayor
that London needs".
"Hard times call for a campaigning Mayor. Now more than ever our city
needs a Mayor who will stand up for the interests of those
increasingly left behind," she added.
Christian Wolmar
A journalist and railway historian, Christian Wolmar is one of
Britain's most in-demand transport pundits.
The only non-politician in the race, he campaigns against the
construction of HS2 and has vowed to tackle London's "housing crisis",
improve the transport network and revitalise public spaces.
"Instead of partisan and personality politics London needs a
dedicated, ideas driven mayor who works for Londoners and their
needs," he said.
The 65-year-old cycles to campaign meeting and claims to have clocked
up more than 2,000 miles already.
The non-runners:
Chuka Umunna - withdrew
Chuka Umunna was the second candidate to declare he would stand for
election as leader of the Labour Party.
A rising star of the party, Mr Umunna was first elected to Parliament
in 2010 and appointed shadow business secretary the following year.
He has retained the seat of Streatham with a majority of nearly 14,000
and a vastly increased vote share this time round.
He announced his intention to stand via a post on his Facebook page.
He said he had spoken to half the Labour 80 candidates standing in
Tory seats targeted by the party and other MPs before making his
announcement.
However, three days later Mr Umunna withdrew from the leadership
contest. He said in a statement posted on his Twitter feed that had
been uncomfortable with the level of "sheer pressure" and scrutiny
that came with being a candidate.
The 36-year-old added that it had perhaps been "too soon" for him to
launch a leadership bid.
Rachel Reeves - ruled out
Another rising star of the 2010 intake, the MP for Leeds West was
appointed shadow chief secretary to the Treasury in 2011 and shadow
work and pensions secretary in 2013.
During the election campaign, she attacked the so-called bedroom tax,
whereby housing benefit payments are reduced for tenants in council
and social housing deemed to have spare rooms.
However, she also suggested Labour would consider reducing the overall
welfare cap in some areas.
She told BBC News Labour needs "to be in the centre ground to win a
general election" but ruled herself out of a leadership bid.
Alan Johnson - ruled out
A former home secretary and shadow chancellor, Alan Johnson is the
Labour leadership candidate who never quite was.
The popular MP declined to stand in 2010 and stepped down from his
shadow cabinet role in 2011 for personal reasons.
Earlier this year it was reported that senior New Labour figures Lord
Mandelson and Alistair Campbell approached Mr Johnson over a
leadership bid, although all three later distanced themselves from the
story.
But the former postman, who has been MP for Hull West and Hessle since
1997, had seemingly ruled himself out again, saying it is a "10-year
job" and he does not have the "right qualities".
Dan Jarvis - ruled out
Former army officer Dan Jarvis was elected MP for Barnsley Central in
a by-election in 2011, having resigned his commission as a major in
the Parachute Regiment to contest the seat.
He held onto his seat at the general election, taking time out from
campaigning to run the London Marathon last month.
After entering Parliament in 2010, he quickly became a shadow culture,
media and sport minister and later a shadow justice minister.
In 2011, Mr Jarvis became the first serving politician in more than 60
years to be awarded a military honour, when he was made an MBE for his
services to the armed forces.
He has been touted by some colleagues as a future Labour leader but Mr
Jarvis, who was widowed in 2010 and has a young family, ruled himself
out, saying it is not the "right time" for him and his family.
Tristram Hunt - ruled out
Historian and journalist Tristram Hunt entered Parliament in 2010 as
Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central.
Ed Miliband made him shadow education secretary in 2013 and he has
been a fierce critic of the coalition's education policies in England.
Speaking in the aftermath of the election results, he called on
Labour's ruling National Executive Committee "not to rush our
election", saying there was time for a "brutal post-mortem" about
Labour's "underlying philosophy and thinking".
As for his own ambitions, he said "it's about the lyrics as much as
the lead singer I think".
He later said he was not confident of getting enough nominations to
stand, and would support Liz Kendall.
Simon Danczuk - ruled out
The MP for Rochdale says the deputy leader vacancy has "come a bit too
soon" for him.
He previously said a number of colleagues had asked him to put his
name forward for the role.
Mr Danczuk is well known for his prominent campaigning against child
sex abuse and leading calls for an inquiry into allegations of
historical child sex abuse by senior figures at Westminster.
He was a vocal critic of Ed Miliband and in an article for the Daily
Telegraph on Thursday he said Labour needed to "step out if its
Metropolitan comfort zone" and "reach out to the country once more."
Kier Starmer - ruled out
The former director of public prosecutions has only just become an MP
after being elected in Frank Dobson's old seat of Holborn and St
Pancras, in North London at the general election.
He was forced to rule himself out of the race to be Labour leader
following a social media campaign urging him to stand.
He said he was "flattered" by the campaign but the party needed
someone with "more political experience".
David Miliband - cannot stand in election
The older brother of ex-leader Ed, David Miliband was frontrunner to
replace Gordon Brown in 2010, until his sibling beat him by a whisker.
A former foreign secretary and MP for South Shields, he was the
Blairite choice for leader but eventually quit Parliament to become
head of the International Rescue Committee charity in New York in
2013.
Speaking to the BBC from the US on the Monday after the general
election, Mr Miliband criticised his brother's campaign in the 2015
general election, saying he and Mr Brown had "allowed themselves to be
portrayed as moving backwards from the principles of aspiration and
inclusion that are the absolute heart of any successful progressive
political project".
While he acknowledged the two men were "brothers for life", he also
confirmed he was not eligible to stand for the party leadership as he
is not an MP.
Labour's election rules
MPs wishing to stand as leader and deputy leader have to be nominated
by 15% of their colleagues in the Parliamentary Labour Party to be
eligible to stand.
As Labour now has 232 MPs, this means prospective candidates must get
at least 34 signatures. That means the maximum size of any field is
six contenders.
Under rules agreed last year, all Labour Party members, registered
supporters and affiliated supporters - including union members - will
be allowed a maximum of one vote each on a one member, one vote
system.
When the election is held, they will be asked to rank candidates in
order of preference.
If no candidate gets 50% of all votes cast, the votes will be added up
and the candidate with the fewest votes eliminated. Their 2nd
preference votes will then be redistributed until one candidate has
50% of all votes cast.
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There are 4 leadership contenders, 3 women and 1 man. To be honest,
Labour can never hope to come back to power for the next 50 years if
any of the women is chosen., which leaves only Andy Burnham. Yvette
Coper is the wife of Ed balls, the former shadow Chancellor and Gordon
Brown henchman who would have been a candidate himself if he had not
lost in the elections. She has already made a calamitous start by
condemning Ed Milliband's policies and yet she was a member of Mr
Milliband's and her husband's senior electoral team. The other two
women are complete unknowns, even me as a party member had never heard
of them before. In short these three women could only ever make Labour
electable if some major calamity befell David Cameron, an economic
collapse, sex scandal or such like, otherwise Labour stands no chance
in the 2010 elections with any of them in charge. Which leaves only
Andy Burnham. He was a minister under Balir and Brown and is from the
left of the party and has the backing of the trade unions. Whther or
not he succeeds in building up a new strtegy and correspnding vision
for Labour remains to be seen. Ed Milliband is said to have failed to
address the concerns of middle England and of Scotland. The new leader
will have to come up with policies that address the interests of what
they are now calling the "aspirational class", namely people who want
to earn high salaries, get mortgages, own cars, and save pension
nests,invest in small businesses, people Labour is presumed to have
abandoned in favour of policies like the free NHS, Taxing the rich,
Defending Social Welfare etc.
George Okello
UK Politics Labour leadership: Likely contenders
24 May 2015From the section UK Politics
The race to succeed Ed Miliband as Labour leader is well under way
following the party's general election defeat.
Candidates are attempting to gather the 35 MPs' signatures they
require to make it onto the ballot paper.
Deputy leader Harriet Harman, who has taken temporary charge, says she
will stand down once a new leader and deputy are elected.
So who are the current and potential candidates to succeed Mr
Miliband? And who is vying for the deputy leader job?
Labour leadership contenders
Liz Kendall
Shadow health minister Liz Kendall was the first Labour MP to say they
wanted a crack at the party's top job, saying a "fundamentally new
approach" was needed.
First elected to Parliament in 2010 as MP for Leicester West and
appointed to the shadow front bench the same year, Ms Kendall is seen
as a Blairite contender.
She is a former special adviser to Harriet Harman and then Health
Secretary Patricia Hewitt who has argued for reform of public
services.
In an interview for The House magazine in January, she said there
"will remain a role" for private and voluntary firms in the health
service, "where they can add extra capacity to the NHS or challenge to
the system".
Could she be a fresh face to lead a change of direction for Labour, or
seen as too inside the Westminster bubble?
Andy Burnham
The Labour MP for Leigh since 2001, Andy Burnham has plenty of
government experience and is the current bookies' favourite.
Mr Burnham served as health secretary under Gordon Brown and
previously as culture secretary and chief secretary to the Treasury.
He stood for the leadership in 2010 but lost out to Ed Miliband, going
on to hold the shadow health brief under Mr Miliband's leadership. He
is said to have strong trade union support.
Declaring his intention to stand, he said Labour must support the
"aspirations of everyone".
Yvette Cooper
Another former chief secretary to the Treasury - as well as a work and
pensions minister under Gordon Brown - Yvette Cooper has been shadow
home secretary for the past four years.
A strong Commons performer, she has given Home Secretary Theresa May a
hard time over matters including passport delays, border controls and
extremism.
She did not stand to succeed Mr Brown in 2010, in favour of her
husband, Ed Balls.
Announcing her bid this time around, she said: "Our promise of hope
wasn't strong enough to drown out the Tory and UKIP voices of fear.
That's what we need to change."
Mary Creagh
The shadow international development secretary has announced her
intention to join the race for the Labour leadership, via an article
in the Daily Mail
Ms Creagh joined parliament in 2005 as the MP for Wakefield, gaining
experience in government as an assistant whip in 2009-10.
She's also held various shadow cabinet positions in opposition, most
notably as shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural
affairs - and transport.
Ms Creagh held onto her brief as international development secretary
in acting Labour leader Harriet Harman's recent reshuffle of the
shadow cabinet.
Labour deputy leadership contenders
Rushanara Ali
Rushanara Ali announced her intention to run for Labour's deputy
leadership claiming the party had become "unelectable".
She was first elected in 2010 in Bethnal Green and Bow, defeating
incumbent MP George Galloway.
She served as shadow education minister until September last year,
when she resigned from the party's front bench in order to abstain in
the vote on air strikes against Islamic State extremists in Iraq.
On the future direction for Labour, she said the party needed to be
"radical" and "take risks", adding : "I think it's time for my
generation to roll up their sleeves and get to work."
She says supporters of her campaign include shadow education secretary
Tristram Hunt and former minister Keith Vaz.
Caroline Flint
The MP for Don Valley has been Labour's shadow energy and climate
change secretary since 2011, after a stint heading up the Department
for Communities and Local Government.
Ms Flint held on to her current position in the latest shadow cabinet reshuffle.
She also held various ministerial positions during Gordon Brown's
premiership, but famously resigned from as Europe minister after
accusing him of treating her and her female colleagues as "window
dressing".
Gloria de Piero
A former GMTV presenter, Gloria de Piero joined Parliament as the MP
for Ashfield in 2010.
She immediately rose to shadow ministerial ranks, taking on a culture,
media and sport brief and then home affairs.
Since 2013 she's been a shadow minister for women and equalities,
being one of Harriet Harman's team on Labour's woman-to-woman "pink
bus" campaign.
Tom Watson
The MP for West Bromwich since 2001. He has made a name for himself as
a prominent backbench campaigner against phone hacking and child sex
abuse.
He also played a minor role in the toppling of Tony Blair after
resigning as a defence minister and calling for the-then PM to quit in
the interest of party and country.
Watson became Labour's campaign chief under Ed Miliband but he quit
after a he became embroiled in a row about the role of the Unite union
in the candidate selection in Falkirk.
Setting out his pitch for the job, he said: "I'm seeking the deputy
leadership to do one thing: write and execute the election battle plan
so that our new leader will be prime minister."
Stella Creasy
The Walthamstow MP has a growing reputation as a hard-working campaigning MP.
Another from the 2010 intake, she was praised for campaign against
payday loans companies, and has a strong following on social media.
She told the Sunday Mirror: "Too many voters think Labour is no longer
a movement for social justice but a machine that only kicks in to gear
at election time."
Angela Eagle
Shadow environment secretary Angela Eagle plans to travel the country
to speak to people who did the "hard graft" in the election campaign.
The MP for Wallasey said Labour could not be "complacent" if it was to
reverse its general election defeat.
Ms Eagle, an MP since 1992, held a number of ministerial jobs during
the last Labour government and in 2013 became chair of the Labour
Party.
She is arguably best-known for having a twin sister, Maria, who is
also a Labour MP.
Ben Bradshaw
A former journalist and Labour cabinet minister, Ben Bradshaw has been
the MP for Exeter since 1997.
He plans a "big tent" approach to ensure Labour does not miss out on
votes in the south of England, saying the party has to "broaden its
appeal".
Reflecting on who should replace Ed Miliband, he said: "I would prefer
to see one of the new generation come forward rather than someone
associated with the Blair and Brown era.
"If we really want to win in 2020 - and I think we need to for the
country's sake - I would like to see someone from the new generation
without that baggage from the past."
Labour candidates for London Mayor
David Lammy
The MP for Tottenham was the first person to publicly weigh up a
leadership bid, telling the BBC that he would consider standing if
colleagues wanted him to.
But he's ruled himself out of the top job, saying his principal aim is
to become Labour's candidate for Mayor of London in 2016.
"I think we need a leader that can win back the Midlands understand
Scotland as well as the south.
"Actually we need to do better in London, my strengths are in London
and the south therefore I want to be the Labour candidate for Mayor,"
he told the BBC's Daily Politics programme.
One of the most prominent black MPs in the party, the former former
barrister is regarded as being on the right of the party, having
served as a minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
His national profile rose during the 2011 riots in London, when he
appealed for calm and reconciliation in the wake of the fatal shooting
of Mark Duggan in his north London constituency.
Tessa Jowell
Dame Tessa Jowell was a key figure at the heart of New Labour - she
once said she would "jump under a bus" for Tony Blair.
The former Dulwich and West Norwood MP, who stood down at the general
election after 20 years in Parliament, earned widespread plaudits for
the role she played in London's bid for the 2012 Olympics and her
subsequent performance as Olympics minister.
She has vowed to bring "Olympic-like discipline" to changing London,
promising to build more affordable homes.
The former culture secretary, who was a psychiatric social worker
before entering politics, is seen as one of the frontrunners in the
race to be Labour's mayoral candidate, with one poll suggesting she is
backed by 40% of Labour supporters.
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan launched his bid to be London mayor with an attack on
incumbent Boris Johnson, describing him as a "red carpet mayor,
somebody who is fantastic going to openings, great with a flute of
champagne in his hands".
"I'd rather roll up my sleeves and fight for all Londoners," he added.
The son of a bus driver, Mr Khan worked as a human rights solicitor
before becoming an MP in 2005. He is shadow London minister.
A close ally of former Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr Khan served in
junior ministerial roles in Gordon Brown's government.
Diane Abbott
A familiar face to viewers of BBC One's This Week, Diane Abbott is a
veteran left winger who first entered the Commons in 1987, as one of
Britain's first black MPs.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP was shadow public health
spokesman under Ed Miliband, after losing out to him in the 2010
Labour leadership contest.
Launching her mayoral bid, she said she would bring London's
communities together and be the "genuinely independently minded Mayor
that London needs".
"Hard times call for a campaigning Mayor. Now more than ever our city
needs a Mayor who will stand up for the interests of those
increasingly left behind," she added.
Christian Wolmar
A journalist and railway historian, Christian Wolmar is one of
Britain's most in-demand transport pundits.
The only non-politician in the race, he campaigns against the
construction of HS2 and has vowed to tackle London's "housing crisis",
improve the transport network and revitalise public spaces.
"Instead of partisan and personality politics London needs a
dedicated, ideas driven mayor who works for Londoners and their
needs," he said.
The 65-year-old cycles to campaign meeting and claims to have clocked
up more than 2,000 miles already.
The non-runners:
Chuka Umunna - withdrew
Chuka Umunna was the second candidate to declare he would stand for
election as leader of the Labour Party.
A rising star of the party, Mr Umunna was first elected to Parliament
in 2010 and appointed shadow business secretary the following year.
He has retained the seat of Streatham with a majority of nearly 14,000
and a vastly increased vote share this time round.
He announced his intention to stand via a post on his Facebook page.
He said he had spoken to half the Labour 80 candidates standing in
Tory seats targeted by the party and other MPs before making his
announcement.
However, three days later Mr Umunna withdrew from the leadership
contest. He said in a statement posted on his Twitter feed that had
been uncomfortable with the level of "sheer pressure" and scrutiny
that came with being a candidate.
The 36-year-old added that it had perhaps been "too soon" for him to
launch a leadership bid.
Rachel Reeves - ruled out
Another rising star of the 2010 intake, the MP for Leeds West was
appointed shadow chief secretary to the Treasury in 2011 and shadow
work and pensions secretary in 2013.
During the election campaign, she attacked the so-called bedroom tax,
whereby housing benefit payments are reduced for tenants in council
and social housing deemed to have spare rooms.
However, she also suggested Labour would consider reducing the overall
welfare cap in some areas.
She told BBC News Labour needs "to be in the centre ground to win a
general election" but ruled herself out of a leadership bid.
Alan Johnson - ruled out
A former home secretary and shadow chancellor, Alan Johnson is the
Labour leadership candidate who never quite was.
The popular MP declined to stand in 2010 and stepped down from his
shadow cabinet role in 2011 for personal reasons.
Earlier this year it was reported that senior New Labour figures Lord
Mandelson and Alistair Campbell approached Mr Johnson over a
leadership bid, although all three later distanced themselves from the
story.
But the former postman, who has been MP for Hull West and Hessle since
1997, had seemingly ruled himself out again, saying it is a "10-year
job" and he does not have the "right qualities".
Dan Jarvis - ruled out
Former army officer Dan Jarvis was elected MP for Barnsley Central in
a by-election in 2011, having resigned his commission as a major in
the Parachute Regiment to contest the seat.
He held onto his seat at the general election, taking time out from
campaigning to run the London Marathon last month.
After entering Parliament in 2010, he quickly became a shadow culture,
media and sport minister and later a shadow justice minister.
In 2011, Mr Jarvis became the first serving politician in more than 60
years to be awarded a military honour, when he was made an MBE for his
services to the armed forces.
He has been touted by some colleagues as a future Labour leader but Mr
Jarvis, who was widowed in 2010 and has a young family, ruled himself
out, saying it is not the "right time" for him and his family.
Tristram Hunt - ruled out
Historian and journalist Tristram Hunt entered Parliament in 2010 as
Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central.
Ed Miliband made him shadow education secretary in 2013 and he has
been a fierce critic of the coalition's education policies in England.
Speaking in the aftermath of the election results, he called on
Labour's ruling National Executive Committee "not to rush our
election", saying there was time for a "brutal post-mortem" about
Labour's "underlying philosophy and thinking".
As for his own ambitions, he said "it's about the lyrics as much as
the lead singer I think".
He later said he was not confident of getting enough nominations to
stand, and would support Liz Kendall.
Simon Danczuk - ruled out
The MP for Rochdale says the deputy leader vacancy has "come a bit too
soon" for him.
He previously said a number of colleagues had asked him to put his
name forward for the role.
Mr Danczuk is well known for his prominent campaigning against child
sex abuse and leading calls for an inquiry into allegations of
historical child sex abuse by senior figures at Westminster.
He was a vocal critic of Ed Miliband and in an article for the Daily
Telegraph on Thursday he said Labour needed to "step out if its
Metropolitan comfort zone" and "reach out to the country once more."
Kier Starmer - ruled out
The former director of public prosecutions has only just become an MP
after being elected in Frank Dobson's old seat of Holborn and St
Pancras, in North London at the general election.
He was forced to rule himself out of the race to be Labour leader
following a social media campaign urging him to stand.
He said he was "flattered" by the campaign but the party needed
someone with "more political experience".
David Miliband - cannot stand in election
The older brother of ex-leader Ed, David Miliband was frontrunner to
replace Gordon Brown in 2010, until his sibling beat him by a whisker.
A former foreign secretary and MP for South Shields, he was the
Blairite choice for leader but eventually quit Parliament to become
head of the International Rescue Committee charity in New York in
2013.
Speaking to the BBC from the US on the Monday after the general
election, Mr Miliband criticised his brother's campaign in the 2015
general election, saying he and Mr Brown had "allowed themselves to be
portrayed as moving backwards from the principles of aspiration and
inclusion that are the absolute heart of any successful progressive
political project".
While he acknowledged the two men were "brothers for life", he also
confirmed he was not eligible to stand for the party leadership as he
is not an MP.
Labour's election rules
MPs wishing to stand as leader and deputy leader have to be nominated
by 15% of their colleagues in the Parliamentary Labour Party to be
eligible to stand.
As Labour now has 232 MPs, this means prospective candidates must get
at least 34 signatures. That means the maximum size of any field is
six contenders.
Under rules agreed last year, all Labour Party members, registered
supporters and affiliated supporters - including union members - will
be allowed a maximum of one vote each on a one member, one vote
system.
When the election is held, they will be asked to rank candidates in
order of preference.
If no candidate gets 50% of all votes cast, the votes will be added up
and the candidate with the fewest votes eliminated. Their 2nd
preference votes will then be redistributed until one candidate has
50% of all votes cast.
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