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Labour Party (UK) leadership election

← 2007 16 August 2010 (2010-08-16) – 22 September 2010 (2010-09-22)

Candidate Ed Miliband David Miliband Ed Balls First preferences 34.33% 37.78% 11.79% Two-candidate preferred 50.65% 49.35% –   Candidate Andy Burnham Diane Abbott First preferences 8.68% 7.42% Two-candidate preferred – –

Leader before election Harriet Harman (pro tempore) Elected Leader Ed Miliband

The 2010 Labour Party leadership election was triggered by a general election which resulted in a hung parliament. On 10 May, Gordon Brown resigned as Leader of the Labour Party. The following day, he stepped down as Prime Minister. The National Executive Committee decided the timetable for the election the result of which would be announced at the annual party conference. On 25 September, Ed Miliband became the new Leader of the Labour Party.

Procedure

The rules of the Labour Party state that "each nomination must be supported by 12.5 per cent of the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party." As the number of Labour MPs is 257 (the 258 returned at the general election minus Eric Illsley, who was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party) 33 MPs need to support any nomination. Nominations opened on 24 May and were to close on 27 May, but the deadline was extended to 9 June after complaints from John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Ed Miliband that the short deadline provided insufficient time to secure the 33 nominations from MPs needed for inclusion on the ballot. The ballot took place between 1 and 22 September, with the results announced on the first day of the party's conference in Manchester on 25 September. There were three distinct electorates, the electors of which cast their votes on a "one member, one vote" basis in each applicable category:

1. Labour members of the House of Commons and the European Parliament
2. Individual members of the party
3. Individual members of affiliated organisations, such as trade unions and socialist societies

Each of the three electorates or sections contributed one third (33.33 per cent) of the total votes and were counted using the Alternative Vote system. The election was run by the National Executive Committee and the results were announced at the annual conference in September 2010.

Union recommendation controversy

Under Labour Party rules, trade unions are allowed to make recommendations to their members, but are barred from doing this in the same communication that contains the ballot paper. During the election, it emerged that both the GMB and Unite had included both an envelope containing the ballot paper, and promotional material for Ed Miliband, their favoured candidate, in the same envelope, attracting criticism that they had breached the spirit of the rules.

Candidates

At a meeting of the Cabinet held on 10 May 2010, it was agreed that no one would announce their candidacy until after formal negotiations in regards to forming a government were resolved. The Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats formed a coalition on 11 May, and David Miliband became the first person to announce his candidacy the following day. A total of six candidates emerged by 20 May:

• Diane Abbott, announced 20 May
• Ed Balls, announced 19 May
• Andy Burnham, announced 20 May
• John McDonnell, announced 18 May; withdrew 9 June
• David Miliband, announced 12 May
• Ed Miliband, announced 14 May

On 9 June John McDonnell withdrew from the contest in favour of Diane Abbott, who eventually made the ballot paper.

Nominations

Candidates must receive nominations from at least 12.5 per cent of the 257 Parliamentary Labour Party members (33) to appear on the ballot. John McDonnell had 16 nominations when he withdrew on 9 June, in favour of Diane Abbott. The final nominations figures were as follows:

Noteworthy MPs who declined to stand

Some MPs seen as potential candidates decided against doing so:

• Yvette Cooper, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary (supported Ed Balls),
• Jon Cruddas, Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham(supported David Miliband),
• Alistair Darling, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer(supported David Miliband)
• Peter Hain, Shadow Wales Secretary (supported Ed Miliband)
• Harriet Harman, Acting Leader of the Opposition (abstained),
• Alan Johnson, Shadow Home Secretary (supported David Miliband)
• Jack Straw, Shadow Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary (supported David Miliband)

In the months before the 2010 general election, some other notable politicians were mentioned as possible future leadership candidates, but were not sitting MPs at the time the contest took place, and therefore not eligible to stand under Labour Party rules. Those mentioned as possible leaders in this regard were:

• Ruth Kelly, former Secretary of State for Education
• James Purnell, former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
• Peter Mandelson, former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

All three of them backed David Miliband.

Televised debates

Opinion polling

Results

In accordance with the principles of the Alternative Vote system, until one candidate won a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes in each round was eliminated and his or her second preference votes distributed to other candidates.

First round

Candidate		MPs/MEPs		Labour Party members		Affiliated members		Total
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Miliband	111	13.91%	55,905	14.69%	58,189	9.18%	37.78%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ed Miliband	84	10.53%	37,980	9.98%	87,585	13.82%	34.33%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ed Balls	40	5.01%	12,831	3.37%	21,618	3.41%	11.79%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Andy Burnham	24	3.01%	10,844	2.85%	17,904	2.83%	8.68%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Diane Abbott N	7	0.88%	9,314	2.45%	25,938	4.09%	7.42%

The total of first-round votes for Balls, Burnham, and Abbott (27.89%) was less than Ed Miliband's vote (34.33%). Thus, it was certain after the first round that Balls, Burnham, and Abbott would all be eliminated; if the Party rules permitted, they could have been eliminated together, reducing the contest to two rounds.

Second round

Candidate		MPs/MEPs		Labour Party members		Affiliated members		Total
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Miliband	111	14.02%	57,128	15.08%	61,336	9.80%	38.89%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ed Miliband	88	11.11%	42,176	11.13%	95,335	15.23%	37.47%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ed Balls	41	5.18%	14,510	3.83%	26,441	4.22%	13.23%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Andy Burnham N	24	3.03%	12,498	3.30%	25,528	4.08%	10.41%

Third round

Candidate		MPs/MEPs		Labour Party members		Affiliated members		Total
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Miliband	125	15.78%	60,375	16.08%	66,889	10.86%	42.72%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ed Miliband	96	12.12%	46,697	12.43%	102,882	16.71%	41.26%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ed Balls N	43	5.43%	18,114	4.82%	35,512	5.77%	16.02%

Fourth round

Candidate		MPs/MEPs		Labour Party members		Affiliated members		Total
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ed Miliband Y	122	15.52%	55,992	15.20%	119,405	19.93%	50.65%
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Miliband	140	17.81%	66,814	18.13%	80,266	13.40%	49.35%

Source: Labour Party website

Results Map

The below map shows the results of the leadership election by constituency. David Miliband took the most constituencies, winning 577 in total. He was followed by Ed Miliband who took sixty-seven constituencies. Andy Burnham won eight seats, all in the north-west, Ed Balls took two constituencies (his own, Morley & Outwood, and that of his wife, Yvette Cooper, Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford), and Diane Abbot won no constituencies. All ties with the exception of Wigan (Andy Burnham and David Miliband) were between David and Ed Miliband. Northern Ireland was counted as one constituency.

See also

• Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2007
• Labour Party (UK) deputy leadership election, 2007
• Labour Party Rule Book

References

1. "Gordon Brown 'stepping down as Labour leader'". BBC News. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
2. ^ "PLP nominations period for Leadership Election to close on 9 June". Labour Party. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
3. ^ "New Labour leader to be elected at September conference". BBC News. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
4. "Ed Miliband is elected leader of the Labour Party". BBC News. 25 September 2010.
5. ^ Chris Lennie, Acting General Secretary, ed. (2008). "4". The Labour Party Rule Book 2008 (PDF). The Labour Party. pp. 24–25. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
6. "Election 2010". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
7. "Labour MP charged over expenses". BBC News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
8. "Labour's NEC agrees timetable for the election of next Leader of the Labour Party". Labour Party. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
9. "Labour extends leadership race deadline". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
10. Ed Miliband union backers accused over Labour ballot mail-out The Guardian 24 September 2010.
11. Unite union 'ignored rules in endorsing Ed Miliband' The Independent 10 September 2010
12. Curtis, Polly (10 May 2010). "David Miliband and Ed Balls set to launch Labour leadership bids". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 10 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Text "Politics" ignored (help); Text "The Guardian" ignored (help)
13. "Diane Abbott enters Labour leadership contest". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
14. "Ed Balls announces he will stand for Labour leader". BBC News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
15. "Andy Burnham enters Labour leadership contest". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
16. "Labour leadership race discredited, says MP McDonnell". BBC News. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
17. ^ Hélène Mulholland and Allegra Stratton (9 June 2010). "John McDonnell withdraws from Labour leadership race in favour of Diane Abbott". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
18. Allegra Stratton, political correspondent (12 May 2010). "David Miliband announces Labour leadership bid". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2010. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
19. "Ed Miliband to take on brother David in leader battle". BBC News. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
20. Woodcock, Andrew (9 June 2010). "John McDonnell withdraws from Labour leadership race". London: The Independent.
21. Mulholland, Helene (9 June 2010). "Diane Abbott makes it on to Labour leadership ballot". London: The Guardian.
22. "John McDonnell withdraws from Labour leadership race". BBC News. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
23. "Diane Abbott Joins 'Open' Labour Leader Race". Sky News. 9 June 2010.
24. ^ "Labour leadership contest: Runners and riders". BBC News. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
25. "2010 Labour leadership election-Ed Balls". Labour Party. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
26. "Jon Cruddas backs Diane Abbott for Labour leader". International Business Times. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
27. Stratton, Allegra (1 June 2010). "David Miliband wins backing of Alistair Darling in Labour leadership race". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
28. Wintour, Patrick (1 June 2010). "Alistair Darling backs David Miliband for Labour leadership". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
29. ^ Evans, Judith (17 May 2010). "David Miliband hails 'next Labour' as he opens leadership bid". Times Online. London.
30. Woodcock, Andrew (8 June 2010). "Harriet Harman nominates Diane Abbott for Labour leadership". London: The Independent.
31. "Alan Johnson backs David Miliband for Labour leadership". Daily Telegraph. London. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
32. "2010 Labour leadership election-Diane Abbott". Labour Party. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
33. Smith, Lewis (12 August 2010). "Straw backs Miliband in leadership race". The Independent. London. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
34. Porter, Andrew; Riddell, Mary (24 July 2009). "Ed Balls attacks Labour leadership rival James Purnell". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
35. "Peter Mandelson 'officially' rules out ever being Labour leader". Daily Telegraph. London. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
36. YouGov / Sun survey YouGov/The Sun, 29 July 2010
37. Neck and neck YouGov, 13 September 2010
38. http://www.labour.org.uk/leadership-clps

External links

News

• Factbox – Rules governing Labour leadership elections Reuters, 10 May 2010
• Labour party leadership The Guardian

Party websites

• Labour Party
• Labour Party Rule Book 2008 (PDF)

Candidates' leadership campaign websites

• Diane Abbott: Diane 4 Leader – Turn the page, change the party
• Andy Burnham – Re-connecting Labour
• Ed Balls for Labour Leader
• David Miliband – Bringing Labour together leading Labour to power
• Ed Miliband for Labour Leader

v t e Ed Miliband
Leader of the Labour Party (2010–2015) Leader of the Opposition (2010–2015) Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (2024–present) MP for Doncaster North (2005–present)
Politics	Leadership One Nation Labour Predistribution Shadow Cabinet frontbench
General elections	2015
Party elections	2010 leadership election 2010 Shadow Cabinet election
Local elections	2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
European elections	2014
Family	David Miliband (brother) Ralph Miliband (father) Marion Kozak (mother) Justine Thornton (wife)
In the media	Miliband of Brothers Bacon sandwich photograph EdStone #Milifandom
Category

• 2010 elections in the United Kingdom
• Labour Party (UK) leadership elections
• Ed Miliband
• Ed Balls