Jeremy Corbyn’s hard-left protege Rebecca Long-Bailey takes a shock five point LEAD over centrist Keir Starmer in Labour leadership race, new poll shows
- Hard-left Corbynite Rebecca Long-Bailey is in the lead for the Labour leadership
- She is the leading choice of figures such as John McDonnell and Diane Abbott
- The survey stated that if an election took place she would win with 42 per cent
Rebecca Long-Bailey (pictured above) is in the lead to become the Labour leader, a new poll revealed
Rebecca Long-Bailey is in front in the race to become Labour leader, a shock poll revealed.
The survey put the hard-Left Corbynite ahead of Sir Keir Starmer, the moderate ex-director of public prosecutions.
Mrs Long-Bailey, Labour’s business spokesman, is the choice of leading figures such as John McDonnell and Diane Abbott. But she has had a slow start to her campaign while Sir Keir has the support of Britain’s largest union, Unison.
The survey by Survation and the LabourList website of 3,835 party members between January 8 and 13 found that if the election took place today, Mrs Long-Bailey, would win 42 per cent.
Labour Brexit spokesman Sir Keir would receive 37 per cent, Jess Phillips nine per cent, Lisa Nandy seven per cent and Emily Thornberry one per cent.
The five candidates have secured the necessary support from party MPs and MEPs but must now win trade union or constituency endorsement to make it on to the ballot paper. Voting then runs from February 21 to April 2.
If an election took place Labour Brexit spokesman Sir Keir Starmer (pictured above) would receive 37 per cent of the vote
Jess Phillips (left) would garner nine per cent of the vote, while Lisa Nandy (right) would get seven per cent
If no one claims more than half the vote second-choice votes are redistributed until a winner emerges.
The poll suggests that Mrs Long-Bailey would win narrowly.
In the deputy leadership race, Angela Rayner is far ahead with 60 per cent – enough to avoid a second round.
Richard Burgon, considered the Corbynite choice, comes second with 19 per cent of first preferences.
Emily Thornberry (pictured above) would get just one per cent of the vote if an election was called
Yesterday Sir Keir set out his vision to return the party to power by making the case for ‘moral socialism’. Highlighting his Left-wing credentials, he said the free-market economy had failed and had ‘fuelled gross inequality’.
Lisa Nandy set out her plan for the nation post-Brexit and called for no trade talks with Donald Trump if he quits the Paris climate accord.