With the resignation of Gordon Brown as both Prime Minister and Labour Party Leader just days after the 2010 election we’ll be seeing the Labour Party Leadership election campaign over the coming months most likely ending during the Labour Party Conference in September 2010.

If the Labour Party wanted a faster leadership contest it would apparently cost them 1/4 million pounds to pay for a separate conference, which is unrealistic with the Labour Party Conference just four months from now. Though if the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government should disintegrate and a new general election were called I’m sure the money would be found :-)

2010 Election Labour Party Leadership Rules

The rules of the Labour Party state that each nomination for Labour Party Leader must be supported by 12.5 per cent of the House of Commons Members of the Parliamentary Labour Party (that’s 33 MPs).

There will be three distinct electorates:

1. Labour Party members of the House of Commons and the European Parliament.
2. Individual members of the party.
3. Individual members of affiliated organisations such as the trade unions.

Each electorate shall contribute 1/3rd of the votes. The election will be run by the National Executive Committee and the results will be announced at the Labour Party annual conference in September 2010.

Currently Harriet Harman is acting Labour Party Leader until after the leadership contest elects a new Labour Party leader.

Labour Party Leadership Candidates

David Miliband : MP for South Shields since 2001 and former Labour Foreign Secretary: has support from at least 15 MPs.

Ed Miliband : MP for Doncaster North since 2005 and former Labour Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Diane Abbott : MP for Hackney North since 1987, she was the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons (wasn’t until 1997 before a second black woman was elected).

Ed Balls : MP for Normanton since 2005 and Morley and Outwood since 6 May 2010 and was the former Labour Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

Andy Burnham : MP for Leigh since 2001 and was the former Labour Secretary of State for Health.

John McDonnell : MP for Hayes and Harlington since 1997 and serves as Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, the Labour Representation Committee, and the “Public Services Not Private Profit Group”.

The Labour party has extended the deadline for leadership nominations by 13 days to June 9th 2010. The Labour party leadership election results will be declared on September 25 2010 during the Labour Party Conference.