How Does A Labour Leadership Election Work? Here's what happens now Keir Starmer has resigned - how soon could Andy Burnham become Prime Minister?
The race to become the next UK Prime Minister has now officially started.
Sir Keir Starmer has today announced his resignation as both the leader of the Labour Party and British Prime Minister.
It means that the UK will soon be welcoming its seventh new premier in just a decade - since David Cameron presided over the Brexit vote back in 2016
In a time of seemingly never-ending political turbulence, here’s how that new leader will be chosen.
What happens when a Labour Prime Minister resigns?
If the position of Labour Prime Minister becomes vacant for any reason, including a resignation, then the Cabinet consults with the National Executive Committee (NEC) to appoints an interim leader until a leadership ballot is organised. In this case it seems certain that Sir Keir Starmer will continue in his role until a successor is decided upon.
How are the candidates chosen for a Labour leadership election?
In order to run for Labour leader a candidate must already be an MP (meaning Andy Burnham recently became eligible thanks to his victory in the Makerfield byelection).
Candidates must be nominated by 20 per cent of fellow Labour MPs. There are currently 405 Labour MPs so a candidate would need the support of 81 MPs.
They must also win the support of five per cent of constituency Labour Parties (CLPs), or at least three affiliates of the Labour Party (groups or organisations that have “interests consistent with those of the Labour Party”). At least two of these must be trade unions.
At the 2020 leadership election candidates first gained support of the requisite number of MPs before securing nominations from CLPs and affiliates.
Candidates must confirm in writing that they accept the nomination to party general secretary Hollie Ridley two weeks before the ballot is held.
How does a Labour leadership ballot work?
Only those who have been Labour Party members for more than six months are eligible to vote in the contest.
Each eligible member votes for the new leader using a preferential voting system - meaning that they vote for them in order of preference, with the number ‘1’ being used for their preferred choice, followed by ‘2’ for their second, all the way down to their least favoured candidate.
The winner is the first to reach over 50 per cent of the vote, with the bottom candidate dropping out at the end of each round and their votes transferred to the second preferred candidate. If a candidate wins more than 50 per cent top preferences in the first vote then the contest is finished.
What happens if there is only one candidate?
So far only hot-favourite Andy Burnham has announced he will stand as leader and, notably, his biggest rival Wes Streeting has announced he will not be attempting to become Prime Minister.
If no other candidate comes forward then Andy Burnham will become Labour Leader, and Prime Minister, without any contest.
How long would a Labour leadership election take?
It’s a fairly long process. In 2020 the nominations opened on January 7, the ballot started on February 24 and Sir Keir Starmer was announced the winner on April 4. So, in total, it took roughly three months.
Make sure you don't miss a moment of breaking news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.