WINNER SIR KEIR AIMS TO RESTORE TRUST IN LABOUR
SIR Keir Starmer has been announced as Jeremy Corbyn’s successor as Labour leader in a scaled-back announcement due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sir Keir Starmer, Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey were in the running for the top job and Sir Keir took 56% of the votes cast.
The human rights lawyer won after the first round of counting.
It marks a significant change of direction for the party, with a move away from the politics of Jeremy Corbyn and Ed Miliband who led Labour over the last decade.
Angela Rayner won the deputy leadership race by 52.6% of the vote.
The winners will assume their roles immediately, leaving Jeremy Corbyn to return to the backbenches unless the winner wants him in their shadow cabinet.
Newly elected leader Sir Keir said his mission is to restore trust in Labour as “a force for good and a force for change”.
He also apologised for antiSemitism in the party which has brought “grief ” to Jewish communities.
Sir Keir said his election “comes at a moment like none other in our lifetime” as the Covid-19 outbreak has “brought normal life to a halt” but brought communities together.
He said: “I can see this happening, people coming together to help the isolated and the vulnerable, checking on their neighbours.
“So many volunteering for the NHS, millions of people doing their bit to stop this virus and to save lives.”
Sir Keir paid tribute to outgoing leader Mr Corbyn and said he would work to stamp out anti-Semitism in the party.
He said: “I want to pay tribute to Jeremy Corbyn, who led our party through some really difficult times, who energised our movement and who’s a friend as well as a colleague.
“And to all of our members, supporters and affiliates I say this – whether you voted for me or not I will represent you, I will listen to you and I will bring our party together.
“But we have to face the future with honesty.
“Anti-Semitism has been a stain on our party. I have seen the grief that it’s brought to so many Jewish communities. On behalf of the Labour Party, I am sorry. I will tear out this poison by its roots and judge success by the return of Jewish members and those who felt that they could no longer support us.”
Defeated leadership candidate Lisa Nandy said: “Congratulations to Keir and his team.
“We have been competitors in this contest but never opponents, and he will have my full support in the challenges that lie ahead.
“A united and strong Labour Party could not be more important than at this moment.”
And Rebecca Long-Bailey wrote on Facebook: “I want to pay tribute to Keir and to Lisa and their respective teams, who each led fantastic campaigns.
“Keir Starmer will be a brilliant prime minister and I can’t wait to see him in Number 10.
“We live in extraordinary and uncertain times, and it is now up to all of us to support Keir as best we can.”
New deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Things have dramatically changed in our country in recent months but our values remain the same, and more important than ever.
“Those are the values we will reflect in our actions as an opposition and a movement – standing up for our public services, for our workers and carers, and for a society in which people work together and look after one another.
“I want to offer my congratulations to Keir. This was a long campaign and by the end one conducted in extraordinary circumstances. The hard work begins today, and Keir will have my full support in both getting Labour on the path back to government and in being a voice for those who need us during this national crisis.
“We must make sure the government delivers on its promises, and acts faster to provide the protection frontline workers need.”
Left-wing campaign group Momentum, which had backed Rebecca Long-Bailey for Labour leader, said it would “hold Keir to account and make sure he keeps his promises”.
In a statement on Twitter, it said: “Congratulations to @Keir-Starmer and @Angela Rayner on their election as leader and deputy. We look forward to working with you both to elect a Labour government that will carry out the kind of transformational policies our country needs.”
It added: “In four-and-a-half years, Jeremy Corbyn and the movement around him has changed our party and country for the better, giving a voice to the hopes of millions who felt unrepresented in politics.
“Austerity as a political project has been defeated and the days when Labour cheered on privatisation, pursued illegal wars and demonised migrants are over. Our membership has tripled, we have double the number of left MPs and our party brims with ideas for a socialist future.
“Keir has pledged support for most of the programme, including the public ownership of rail, mail, energy and water, a Green New Deal, kicking the privatisers out of the NHS, scrapping tuition fees, closing down detention centres and taxing the top 5%.
“His mandate is to build on Jeremy’s transformative vision, and this means appointing a broad shadow cabinet who believe in the policies and will work with members to make them a reality.
“In this new era Momentum will play a new role. We’ll hold Keir to account and make sure he keeps his promises.”