Tony Blair's Resignation and his Succcessor as UK Prime Minister

[Open Edit]

The BBC has a good web page for the succession to Tony Blair, frequently updated, here.

In September 2006, Tony Blair announced he would resign as Labour Party leader, and Prime Minister of the UK, within a year. His popularity in the country had been falling, and there had been rumours that a challenge to his leadership would be mounted at that year's party conference. The overwhelming favourite to succeed him had always been Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (chief finance minister) for all of Blair's premiership, and it seemed a deal had been done that if Blair could choose his own time to resign, Brown and his allies would not push for a contested election against him.

On Thursday 10th May 2007, Blair announced he would step down as Prime Minister on Wednesday 27th June. The Labour party decided the results of the leadership (and deputy leadership) election would be announced on Sunday 24th June.

In the United Kingdom, as in most parliamentary systems, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party, or coalition, that has the confidence of the main chamber of Parliament - the House of Commons for the UK. This means that the holder of the office of Prime Minister can change without a general election. It is up to the party's internal rules to decide how a new leader is appointed.

For the Labour party:

The decision lies with an electoral college split equally three ways between the 354 Labour MPs and the Labour MEPs, all party members and members of affiliated trade unions who have not opted out of paying a political levy - about 700,000 people in the last Labour contest in 1994.

It is likely that up to a million people will have a say in the leadership race this time.
...
If any candidate receives a majority of votes, they are declared the leader.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5177180.stm

(MP = Member of (UK) Parliament; MEP = Member of European Parliament)

The voting system is instant runoff:

The vote, provided there are more than two candidates, will be a transferable eliminating ballot. Voters will mark the candidates 1,2, 3 etc. Each round will be published as 100%, with votes not cast or transferred being eliminated from the calculations.

http://www.labour.org.uk/leadership/faqs#17

As well as Gordon Brown, the MPs who declared an intention to stand were John McDonnell and Michael Meacher. Both are further to the left than Brown; while Meacher has a lot of experience in government at lower levels (most notably as Environment Minister up until 2003), McDonnell has only ever been a 'backbench' MP.
McDonnell and Meacher agreed that whichever one has the least MPs backing them would step aside and support the other, because a candidate needs another 44 MPs to nominate them for the contest, and there were not many MPs willing to do so (publicly, at least). On Monday 14th May, they announced McDonnell would be the candidate.

Realistically, McDonnell did not stand a chance of winning. He is to the left of the centre of the Labour party, and the left of the centre of the country as well. The MPs and MEPs are too focussed on winning elections (ie their personal seats) to risk someone outside the mainstream; and enough party members and trades union members probably feel the same to get Gordon Brown elected.

On 17th May, it was announced that Brown had won 313 out of 353 nominations, while McDonnell only got 29. Brown was thus selected as the Labour party leader without the trades union or members having a vote.

In addition to Tony Blair resigning, John Prescott, the Labour Deputy Leader (and therefore the Deputy Prime Minister of the country) announced he will resign that post at the same time. While his position is largely symbolic (the equivalent of the vice-presidency in the USA, but in the event of the PM's death, he would be only a temporary leader while a new internal election is held), there is genuine competition for this post.

The declared candidates are:

Alan Johnson: currently Education Secretary; a supporter of Blair, but his past as a trade union official and a straight-forward speaking style mean he is not seen as a simple 'yes man'

Peter Hain: currently Northern Ireland Secretary; he was first known as one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in the UK. He then became a very loyal Blair follower, but has a tendency to suddenly talk honestly, perhaps against government policy.

Harriet Harman: currently Constitutional Affairs Minister; she has been prominent, but not quite at the top, in Labour for some time. In general, a Blairite politician, but with occasional flashes of independence, that has seen her leave government, only to be called back a few years later. Is running largely on the grounds that a female deputy leader would provide needed balance to present to the electorate.

Jon Cruddas: currently a backbench MP; the furthest left of the candidates, he sometimes rebels against the Labour whip in votes in the Commons. With Brown certain to win the leadership, his pitch is that he would represent the wing of the party further to the left (he's no firebrand, however), as John Prescott was meant to represent the traditional union vote under Blair.

Hillary Benn: currently International Development Secretary; the son of the iconic left winger Tony Benn, Hillary is quite moderate, and uncritical of Blair, but seem personally quite likeable and, well, 'human', which can't always be said of the other candidates. He is currently the bookmakers' favourite.

Hazel Blears: currently Party chairman; I have to confess personal prejudice against her. I (and many other people do feel the same) cannot stand the woman - she appears to be the most insincere 'Blair-bot' there is. If she will suddenly become the perfect Brown acolyte the moment he is in charge, I cannot tell. I wouldn't trust her to run a whelk stall. If anyone thinks they can be objective about her, please edit this entry.

The Talk Box is for comments. Please include your username.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Unexplained edit

The BBC has a good web page for the succession to Tony Blair, frequently updated, here.

In September 2006, Tony Blair announced he would resign as Labour Party leader, and Prime Minister of the UK, within a year. His popularity in the country had been falling, and there had been rumours that a challenge to his leadership would be mounted at that year's party conference. The overwhleming favourite to succeed him had always been Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (chief finance minister) for all of Blair's premiership, and it seemed a deal had been done that if Balir could choose his own time to resign, Brown and his allies would not push for a contested election against him.

In the United Kingdom, as in most parliamentary systems, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party, or coalition, that has the confidence of the main chamber of Parliament - the House of Commons for the UK. This means that the holder of the office of Prime Minister can change without a general election. It is up to the party's internal rules to decide how a new leader is appointed.

For the Labour party:

The decision lies with an electoral college split equally three ways between the 354 Labour MPs and the Labour MEPs, all party members and members of affiliated trade unions who have not opted out of paying a political levy - about 700,000 people in the last Labour contest in 1994.

It is likely that up to a million people will have a say in the leadership race this time.
...
If any candidate receives a majority of votes, they are declared the leader.

If nobody reaches this figure on a first poll then further ballots will be held on an elimination basis.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5177180.stm

The Talk Box is for comments. Please include your username.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Added deputy leader info

The BBC has a good web page for the succession to Tony Blair, frequently updated, here.

In September 2006, Tony Blair announced he would resign as Labour Party leader, and Prime Minister of the UK, within a year. His popularity in the country had been falling, and there had been rumours that a challenge to his leadership would be mounted at that year's party conference. The overwhelming favourite to succeed him had always been Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (chief finance minister) for all of Blair's premiership, and it seemed a deal had been done that if Blair could choose his own time to resign, Brown and his allies would not push for a contested election against him.

In the United Kingdom, as in most parliamentary systems, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party, or coalition, that has the confidence of the main chamber of Parliament - the House of Commons for the UK. This means that the holder of the office of Prime Minister can change without a general election. It is up to the party's internal rules to decide how a new leader is appointed.

For the Labour party:

The decision lies with an electoral college split equally three ways between the 354 Labour MPs and the Labour MEPs, all party members and members of affiliated trade unions who have not opted out of paying a political levy - about 700,000 people in the last Labour contest in 1994.

It is likely that up to a million people will have a say in the leadership race this time.
...
If any candidate receives a majority of votes, they are declared the leader.

If nobody reaches this figure on a first poll then further ballots will be held on an elimination basis.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5177180.stm

(MP = Member of (UK) Parliament; MEP = Member of European Parliament)

As well as Gordon Brown, the declared candidates are John McDonnell and Michael Meacher. Both are further to the left than Brown; while Meacher has a lot of experience in government at lower levels (most notably as Environment Minister up until 2003), McDonnell has only ever been a 'backbench' MP.
McDonnell and Meacher have agreed that whichever one has the most MPs backing them at the time Blair announces the date he is standing down will step aside and support the other, because a candidate needs 44 MPs to nominate them for the contest.

Realistically, neither McDonnell nor Meacher stand a chance of winning. They are to the left of the centre of the Labour party, and the left of the centre of the country as well. The MPs and MEPs are too focussed on winning elections (ie their personal seats) to risk someone outside the mainstream; and enough party members and trades union members will feel the same to get Gordon Brown elected.

In addition to Tony Blair resigning, John Prescott, the Labour Deputy Leader (and therefore the Deputy Prime Minister of the country) has announced he will resign that post at the same time. While his position is largely symbolic (the equivalent of the vice-presidency in the USA, but in the event of the PM's death, he would be only a temporary leader while a new internal election is held), there is genuine competition for this post.

The declared candidates are:

Alan Johnson: currently Education Secretary; a supporter of Blair, but his past as a trade union official and a straight-forward speaking style mean he is not seen as a simple 'yes man'

Perter Hain: currently Northern Ireland Secretary; he was first known as one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in the UK. He then became a very loyal Blair follower, but has a tendency to suddenly talk honestly, perhaps against government policy.

Harriet Harman: currently Constitutional Affairs Minister; she has been prominent, but not quite at the top, in Labour for some time. In general, a Blairite politician, but with occasional flashes of independence, that has seen her leave government, only to be called back a few years later. Is running largely on the grounds that a female deputy leader would provide needed balance to present to the electorate.

Jon Cruddas: currently a backbench MP; the furthest left of the candidates, he sometimes rebels against the Labour whip in votes in the Commons. With Brown certain to win the leadership, his pitch is that he would represent the wing of the party further to the left (he's no firebrand, however), as John Prescott was meant to represent the traditional union vote under Blair.

Hillary Benn: currently International Development Secretary; the son of the iconic left winger Tony Benn, Hillary is quite moderate, and uncritical of Blair, but seem personally quite likeable and, well, 'human', which can't always be said of the other candidates. He is currently the bookmakers' favourite.

Hazel Blears: currently Party chairman; I have to confess personal prejudice against her. I (and many other people do feel the same) cannot stand the woman - she appears to be the most insincere 'Blair-bot' there is. If she will suddenly become the perfect Brown acolyte the moment he is in charge, I cannot tell. I wouldn't trust her to run a whelk stall. If anyone thinks they can be objective about her, please edit this entry.

The Talk Box is for comments. Please include your username.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Unexplained edit

The BBC has a good web page for the succession to Tony Blair, frequently updated, here.

In September 2006, Tony Blair announced he would resign as Labour Party leader, and Prime Minister of the UK, within a year. His popularity in the country had been falling, and there had been rumours that a challenge to his leadership would be mounted at that year's party conference. The overwhelming favourite to succeed him had always been Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (chief finance minister) for all of Blair's premiership, and it seemed a deal had been done that if Blair could choose his own time to resign, Brown and his allies would not push for a contested election against him.

On Thursday 10th May 2007, Blair announced he would step down as Prime Minister on Wednesday 27th June. http://www.labour.org.uk/leadership/|The Labour party> decided the results of the leadership (and deputy leadership) election would be announced on Sunday 24th June.

In the United Kingdom, as in most parliamentary systems, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party, or coalition, that has the confidence of the main chamber of Parliament - the House of Commons for the UK. This means that the holder of the office of Prime Minister can change without a general election. It is up to the party's internal rules to decide how a new leader is appointed.

For the Labour party:

The decision lies with an electoral college split equally three ways between the 354 Labour MPs and the Labour MEPs, all party members and members of affiliated trade unions who have not opted out of paying a political levy - about 700,000 people in the last Labour contest in 1994.

It is likely that up to a million people will have a say in the leadership race this time.
...
If any candidate receives a majority of votes, they are declared the leader.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5177180.stm

(MP = Member of (UK) Parliament; MEP = Member of European Parliament)

The voting system is instant runoff:

The vote, provided there are more than two candidates, will be a transferable eliminating ballot. Voters will mark the candidates 1,2, 3 etc. Each round will be published as 100%, with votes not cast or transferred being eliminated from the calculations.

http://www.labour.org.uk/leadership/faqs#17

As well as Gordon Brown, the MPs who declared an intention to stand were John McDonnell and Michael Meacher. Both are further to the left than Brown; while Meacher has a lot of experience in government at lower levels (most notably as Environment Minister up until 2003), McDonnell has only ever been a 'backbench' MP.
McDonnell and Meacher agreed that whichever one has the least MPs backing them would step aside and support the other, because a candidate needs 44 MPs to nominate them for the contest, and there were not many MPs to do so (publicly, at least). On Monday 14th May, they announced McDonnell would be the candidate.

Realistically, McDonnell does not stand a chance of winning. He is to the left of the centre of the Labour party, and the left of the centre of the country as well. The MPs and MEPs are too focussed on winning elections (ie their personal seats) to risk someone outside the mainstream; and enough party members and trades union members will feel the same to get Gordon Brown elected.

In addition to Tony Blair resigning, John Prescott, the Labour Deputy Leader (and therefore the Deputy Prime Minister of the country) announced he will resign that post at the same time. While his position is largely symbolic (the equivalent of the vice-presidency in the USA, but in the event of the PM's death, he would be only a temporary leader while a new internal election is held), there is genuine competition for this post.

The declared candidates are:

Alan Johnson: currently Education Secretary; a supporter of Blair, but his past as a trade union official and a straight-forward speaking style mean he is not seen as a simple 'yes man'

Peter Hain: currently Northern Ireland Secretary; he was first known as one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in the UK. He then became a very loyal Blair follower, but has a tendency to suddenly talk honestly, perhaps against government policy.

Harriet Harman: currently Constitutional Affairs Minister; she has been prominent, but not quite at the top, in Labour for some time. In general, a Blairite politician, but with occasional flashes of independence, that has seen her leave government, only to be called back a few years later. Is running largely on the grounds that a female deputy leader would provide needed balance to present to the electorate.

Jon Cruddas: currently a backbench MP; the furthest left of the candidates, he sometimes rebels against the Labour whip in votes in the Commons. With Brown certain to win the leadership, his pitch is that he would represent the wing of the party further to the left (he's no firebrand, however), as John Prescott was meant to represent the traditional union vote under Blair.

Hillary Benn: currently International Development Secretary; the son of the iconic left winger Tony Benn, Hillary is quite moderate, and uncritical of Blair, but seem personally quite likeable and, well, 'human', which can't always be said of the other candidates. He is currently the bookmakers' favourite.

Hazel Blears: currently Party chairman; I have to confess personal prejudice against her. I (and many other people do feel the same) cannot stand the woman - she appears to be the most insincere 'Blair-bot' there is. If she will suddenly become the perfect Brown acolyte the moment he is in charge, I cannot tell. I wouldn't trust her to run a whelk stall. If anyone thinks they can be objective about her, please edit this entry.

The Talk Box is for comments. Please include your username.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Brown selected by MPs nominations alone

The BBC has a good web page for the succession to Tony Blair, frequently updated, here.

In September 2006, Tony Blair announced he would resign as Labour Party leader, and Prime Minister of the UK, within a year. His popularity in the country had been falling, and there had been rumours that a challenge to his leadership would be mounted at that year's party conference. The overwhelming favourite to succeed him had always been Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (chief finance minister) for all of Blair's premiership, and it seemed a deal had been done that if Blair could choose his own time to resign, Brown and his allies would not push for a contested election against him.

On Thursday 10th May 2007, Blair announced he would step down as Prime Minister on Wednesday 27th June. The Labour party decided the results of the leadership (and deputy leadership) election would be announced on Sunday 24th June.

In the United Kingdom, as in most parliamentary systems, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party, or coalition, that has the confidence of the main chamber of Parliament - the House of Commons for the UK. This means that the holder of the office of Prime Minister can change without a general election. It is up to the party's internal rules to decide how a new leader is appointed.

For the Labour party:

The decision lies with an electoral college split equally three ways between the 354 Labour MPs and the Labour MEPs, all party members and members of affiliated trade unions who have not opted out of paying a political levy - about 700,000 people in the last Labour contest in 1994.

It is likely that up to a million people will have a say in the leadership race this time.
...
If any candidate receives a majority of votes, they are declared the leader.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5177180.stm

(MP = Member of (UK) Parliament; MEP = Member of European Parliament)

The voting system is instant runoff:

The vote, provided there are more than two candidates, will be a transferable eliminating ballot. Voters will mark the candidates 1,2, 3 etc. Each round will be published as 100%, with votes not cast or transferred being eliminated from the calculations.

http://www.labour.org.uk/leadership/faqs#17

As well as Gordon Brown, the MPs who declared an intention to stand were John McDonnell and Michael Meacher. Both are further to the left than Brown; while Meacher has a lot of experience in government at lower levels (most notably as Environment Minister up until 2003), McDonnell has only ever been a 'backbench' MP.
McDonnell and Meacher agreed that whichever one has the least MPs backing them would step aside and support the other, because a candidate needs another 44 MPs to nominate them for the contest, and there were not many MPs willing to do so (publicly, at least). On Monday 14th May, they announced McDonnell would be the candidate.

Realistically, McDonnell did not stand a chance of winning. He is to the left of the centre of the Labour party, and the left of the centre of the country as well. The MPs and MEPs are too focussed on winning elections (ie their personal seats) to risk someone outside the mainstream; and enough party members and trades union members probably feel the same to get Gordon Brown elected.

On 17th May, it was announced that Brown had won 313 out of 353 nominations, while McDonnell only got 29. Brown was thus selected as the Labour party leader without the trades union or members having a vote.

In addition to Tony Blair resigning, John Prescott, the Labour Deputy Leader (and therefore the Deputy Prime Minister of the country) announced he will resign that post at the same time. While his position is largely symbolic (the equivalent of the vice-presidency in the USA, but in the event of the PM's death, he would be only a temporary leader while a new internal election is held), there is genuine competition for this post.

The declared candidates are:

Alan Johnson: currently Education Secretary; a supporter of Blair, but his past as a trade union official and a straight-forward speaking style mean he is not seen as a simple 'yes man'

Peter Hain: currently Northern Ireland Secretary; he was first known as one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in the UK. He then became a very loyal Blair follower, but has a tendency to suddenly talk honestly, perhaps against government policy.

Harriet Harman: currently Constitutional Affairs Minister; she has been prominent, but not quite at the top, in Labour for some time. In general, a Blairite politician, but with occasional flashes of independence, that has seen her leave government, only to be called back a few years later. Is running largely on the grounds that a female deputy leader would provide needed balance to present to the electorate.

Jon Cruddas: currently a backbench MP; the furthest left of the candidates, he sometimes rebels against the Labour whip in votes in the Commons. With Brown certain to win the leadership, his pitch is that he would represent the wing of the party further to the left (he's no firebrand, however), as John Prescott was meant to represent the traditional union vote under Blair.

Hillary Benn: currently International Development Secretary; the son of the iconic left winger Tony Benn, Hillary is quite moderate, and uncritical of Blair, but seem personally quite likeable and, well, 'human', which can't always be said of the other candidates. He is currently the bookmakers' favourite.

Hazel Blears: currently Party chairman; I have to confess personal prejudice against her. I (and many other people do feel the same) cannot stand the woman - she appears to be the most insincere 'Blair-bot' there is. If she will suddenly become the perfect Brown acolyte the moment he is in charge, I cannot tell. I wouldn't trust her to run a whelk stall. If anyone thinks they can be objective about her, please edit this entry.

The Talk Box is for comments. Please include your username.