If Ed Miliband did step down then who?
A run-down of possible contenders
Ed Miliband’s latest PMQs performance will do nothing to stop the murmuring within the party against him and Ladbrokes have him at just 2/1 that he’ll go before the general election.
But if he was to step aside voluntarily then who would take over. These are my comments on those priced at 25/1 or shorter in the betting.
| Possible | Odds | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| David Miliband | 5/1 | He had his chance last autumn and his current absence from the front bench means he not been able to shine. Would he get vital union support this time? I’m not sure |
| Yvette Cooper | 5/1 | The news that she’s had ME suggests that she might not want it. Does not seem to have adapted well to being in opposition |
| Ed Balls | 8/1 | A strong possibility who would really get under Dave’s skin – but still too much associated with Brown years. |
| Chuka Umanna | 12/1 | Only entered commons in 2010 – not really had chance to prove himself |
| Andy Burnham | 14/1 | A poor performance in the last contest suggests that he’d struggle |
| Lisa Nandy | 16/1 | One for the future, perhaps, but not now |
| James Purnell | 20/1 | Not even an MP |
| Rachel Reeves | 20/1 | Same as Lisa Nandy |
| Douglas Alexander | 20/1 | A possible if he wanted to put himself forward |
| Stella Creasey | 20/1 | I’ve been impressed but same as Lisa Nandy |
| Harriet Harman | 25/1 | Did well in her spell as leader last summer – might just be a good stand-in. Cameron seemed to make heavy weather against her. |
| Rushanara Ali | 25/1 | Same as Lisa Nandy |
| Sadiq Khan | 25/1 | The more I see of him the more under-whelmed I am. |
| Jim Murphy | 25/1 | I bet on him at 33/1 in March and still think he would be in with a shout. He’s thoughtful and confident and can think on his feet. |
| Alan Johnson | 25/1 | After stepping down from shadow chancellor role it’s hard to see him returning to the front line. |