Voting underway for Labour leader
by Peter Wozniak
Postal ballots have begun arriving at the addresses of Labour party members and trade unionists, as the candidates for leader continue a last minute rush for votes.
David and Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott have all been campaigning to succeed Gordon Brown, who stepped down after the general election in May.
A large proportion of the votes are expected to be sent off this week, amid a contest that burst into life recently with the breakdown of the amicable truce between the two Milibands, widely perceived to be the frontrunners, into a battle for the future position of Labour.
The election has been complicated by the intervention of senior figures from Labour’s past becoming embroiled in what has become an unpredictable and closely fought campaign.
The publication of Tony Blair’s memoirs on Wednesday will only add fuel to the fire that was stoked by Lord Mandelson’s comments warning against a shift to the left on Monday. It remains to be seen what effect Mr Blair’s book will have.
The former prime minister is a hugely divisive figure for the party. For every Labour member put off by his record on Iraq, the economy and civil liberties, another is impressed by his unprecedented electoral performance.
David Miliband is widely perceived to be the inheritor of the New Labour movement, a label he himself has forcefully denied, while his brother Ed appears to have positioned himself on the left, disowning much of the policy enacted during the Blair regime.
The Labour leader will be elected using a complex system of voting, with three electoral colleges made up of MPs, party members, and trade union members.
David Miliband is likely to perform well amongst MPs, whilst Ed Miliband has garnered the endorsement of the largest trade unions. Much will depend on which way the party membership goes.
Voters may rank their candidates, so even if Mr Burnham, Mr Balls and Ms Abbott are unlikely to win outright, the second preference votes of their supporters may still prove decisive.
Paddy Power gives David Miliband the edge as it stands, with odds of 1/3, compared to Ed Miliband on 7/4.
Ballots will be sent off by post, and the winner will be announced on the 25th of September, the day before the Labour conference begins.
