In his emotional resignation speech, Ed Miliband called on the Labour party to keep on fighting. So who’s best for the job according to bookies odds?
Labour’s loss of 25 seats in the general election meant they were dealt a worse defeat than under Gordon Brown in 2010.
But as Ed Miliband stepped down yesterday, he was adamant that the results don’t mean a bleak future for the party.
He said: “We have come back before and this party will come back again.”
So the door’s wide open for a new candidate to represent a new era of Labour with Harriet Harman also stepping down as deputy leader.
According to bookies these are the five favourites:
Andy Burnham 9/4
Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham didn’t get much support last time he stood for Labour leadership, but he’s since built a strong following from the party and his 25 years experience makes him a safe pair of hands.
Chuka Umunna 2/1
Regarded as the voice of Labour’s new generation, the Streatham MP and shadow business secretary scored a runaway victory when he increased his majority vote from 3,259 to 13,934. A bookies favourite, Chuka Umunna’s humble roots makes him a strong figurehead for the youth vote.
Yvette Cooper 3/1
Ed Balls’ wife and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has a good chance of becoming Labour’s first female leader. She is a high-profile campaigner of women’s equality and gay rights.
Dan Jarvis 7/1
The MP for Barnsley Central had his odds of being taking over as leader slashed after his triumphant 56% constituency win.
Liz Kendall 14/1
It might be a safe seat, but Liz Kendall increased her 2010 majority to an impressive 16,051 in Leicester West. The shadow minister for health and older people helped introduce the smoking ban and, according to Labour politician Patricia Hewitt, ‘has a core of steel’.
Image courtesy of the BBC via YouTube, with thanks
