With Labour’s NEC deciding the leadership election rules Long-Bailey has yet to declare
Can we ready anything into her silence?
Over the weekend we have seen a fair bit of the prospective successors to Corbyn as LAB leader of which five have already declared. These are:
- Keir Starmer
- Emily Thornberry
- Lisa Nandy
- Jess Phillips
- Clive Lewis
Surprisingly there has been no public move so far from Long-Bailey who is said to be the favourite of the Corbyn and McDonnell – the ones who really hold the power. An excellent profile on her in the Sunday Times yesterday raised questions about how long she has actually been a member of the party.
According to a leaked copy of her application, she responded by putting a cross in the box which read: “1–5 years”. She is said to have remained so wary of her inexperience that in a subsequent interview, she even — falsely — told the selection panel she voted for Ed Miliband in the party’s 2010 leadership election.
Her article in the Guardian last week, as was widely noted, hardly a full-blooded pitch for the job. She seemed very reticent.
Maybe she is just waiting for the outcome of today’s NEC meeting setting out how the election with the timetsble and the nomination requirements? Maybe she isn’t as keen as Corbyn and McDonnell would like?
On Betfair Long-Bailey is currently the second favourite rated as a 20% chance.