Jeremy Corbyn to stand down: Who will be the next Labour leader?

13 December 2019, 09:04

Jeremy Corbyn has announced he will not lead Labour into another election after a disastrous night in the general election. So who will replace him?

The Labour leader saw his party win just 203 seats - losing 59 seats from the poll two years ago.

So who will replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader?

Odds on new Labour leader

Keir Starmer - 2/1
The Shadow Brexit Secretary is seen as a very capable politician - albeit relatively new, having only entered parliament in 2015. But as a Remainer, could he win back Leave voters in the north?

Rebecca Long-Bailey - 7/2
The Shadow Business Secretary stood in for Mr Corbyn in the leadership debates and performed well. But there are question marks over whether she connects well with voters.

Angela Rayner - 7/1
Many pundits say the next Labour leader should be from the north - and ideally a woman. That puts the Shadow Education Secretary in a strong position to replace Mr Corbyn.

Jess Phillips - 8/1
A very strong performer in public - and she is popular amongst voters. But will the Corbyn supporters trust her to run the party after her high-profile criticism of him?

Emily Thornberry - 12/1
The Shadow Foreign Secretary has been quiet during the election period. Was she silenced by the Corbyn leadership, or was she keeping her head down to separate herself from them?

Yvette Cooper - 10/1
Ms Cooper came third in the Labour leadership contest in 2015 and has been a backbencher since then. Having been an outspoken critic of Brexit, can she convince the membership to back her?

John McDonnell - 20/1
Jeremy Corbyn's closest confidante would be top of the list to stand in for Mr Corbyn. But the Shadow Chancellor appears to have already said he is not interested in taking over from his friend.

After winning his Islington North seat, Mr Corbyn announced he would be standing down at some point in the future, saying: "I want to make it clear I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign.

"I will discuss with the party to ensure there is a process now of reflection on this result and on the policies that the party will take in the future. I will lead the party during that period to ensure that discussion takes place and we move on into the future."