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Labour leader contest: West Yorkshire MPs split
West Yorkshire's Labour MPs are split over who to back for the party's leadership contest.
Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband has won the support of 47 MPs including two from Leeds – Hilary Benn (Leeds Central) and Rachel Reeves (Leeds West).
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His brother David, the shadow foreign secretary, is the contest's front-runner with 59 nominations so far, including Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East) and Mary Creagh (Wakefield).
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Morley and Outwood MP Ed Balls is the third candidate to have reached the threshold of 33 MP nominations, which is required to formally enter the race.
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However, the shadow education secretary has only picked up the backing of one other shadow cabinet minister – his wife Yvette Cooper, the MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford.
He today told the YEP that he was confident of picking up more support and stressed that because it is a four month contest "taking your time is OK".
"There are a number of people who will nominate me who have not yet put their nominations in, partly because people want to consult with their local parties," he said.
Left-wing candidate Diane Abbott is trailing the contest with only four nominations but she has picked up the support of Jon Trickett (Hemsworth).
Mr Trickett said: "Three candidates have already secured sufficient nominations I have therefore decided to nominate a fourth in order to widen the choice available to the members.
"I have used my nomination to help another candidate, Diane Abbott, the only female seeking election and it is clearly important that women's voices are heard."
Two of the region's Labour MPs – George Mudie (Leeds East) and Mike Wood (Batley & Spen) – are keeping their cards close to their chest and have yet to sign any nomination papers.
Explaining her support for Ed Miliband, Ms Reeves said: "After having met the candidates, I made this decision because I believe that Ed has the values, policies and the ability to listen and lead that will enable him to renew the Labour Party, reach out to new supporters and take on the Tory/Lib Dem coalition."
Fabian Hamilton said he was backing David Miliband because "I can't imagine anybody better qualified to lead and take the Labour Party forward than David."
Nominations close for the contest on Wednesday.
David Miliband, who has also won the support of shadow chancellor Alistair Darling, has said that he had not yet used his own nomination, and would be prepared to use it to help another candidate who was just short of the threshold.
The most likely beneficiary of this would be Andy Burnham, the former health secretary, who has 19 nominations.
John McDonnell, the Left-wing backbencher, has seven nominations.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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