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| Labour leadership election: Angela Eagle pulls out of contest to allow Owen Smith straight run at Jeremy Corbyn | Labour leadership election: Angela Eagle pulls out of contest to allow Owen Smith straight run at Jeremy Corbyn |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Owen Smith will stand against Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership after Angela Eagle pulled out of the race, leaving Mr Smith as the anti-Corbyn “unity candidate”. | |
| Ms Eagle, the former shadow Business Secretary, withdrew after Mr Smith, the former shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, secured nominations from more MPs and MEPs than she did. She said: “I am supporting Owen with all my enthusiasm and might.” | Ms Eagle, the former shadow Business Secretary, withdrew after Mr Smith, the former shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, secured nominations from more MPs and MEPs than she did. She said: “I am supporting Owen with all my enthusiasm and might.” |
| Ms Eagle won plaudits for having the courage to challenge Mr Corbyn after 80 per cent of Labour MPs refused to back him in a confidence vote. But Mr Smith had checked her early momentum with a pitch slightly to the left of Ms Eagle which highlights his opposition to the Iraq War while she voted for it. | |
| Ms Eagle, an MP since 1992 and a former minister, is much better known in the party than Mr Smith, who entered the Commons in 2010. But some Labour MPs believe his fresh appeal may give him a better chance of defeating Mr Corbyn among Labour members. | |
| Mr Smith pledged to “heal and unite” Labour, adding: “It is time to move on to a new generation of politicians.” He told party members: “I can be your champion. I am just as radical as Jeremy Corbyn.” | |
| The former BBC producer said he would fight a “comradely” campaign but would “take Jeremy on” over the issues and policies. He said Ms Eagle would be his “right-hand woman” if he defeated Mr Corbyn. | |
| After a “beauty contest” in which addressed Labour MPs on Monday, Mr Smith and Ms Eagle reached a “common understanding”. Under the deal, the one with the fewest nominations would stand down, and then become an “integral part” of the other’s campaign. If one defeated Mr Corbyn in the September election, the other would be appointed shadow Chancellor or shadow First Secretary of State. | |
| Mr Smith was nominated by 88 MPs and two MEPs. | |
| Ms Eagle said there was only “quite a narrow gap” in the number of nominations but that she was standing aside “in the best interests of the party.” She said: “We are in lock-step together, arguing for a united Labour Party. We have a Labour Party at the moment that is not working, we've got a leader that doesn't have the confidence of his MPs and isn't reaching out to the country. | |
| She added: “We need to have a strong and united party so we can be a good opposition, take the fight to the Conservative Government and heal our country. So I am announcing tonight that I will be supporting Owen in that endeavour with all my enthusiasm and might.” | |
| One senior Labour source said: “They recognise and respect the clear preference of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) for a single candidate. They realise that as leaders, they need to unite the PLP and the party to take on the Tories. Both of them bring real talents to the table, so wouldn't it be great if they could combine those talents to take on Jeremy and John McDonnell together?” | One senior Labour source said: “They recognise and respect the clear preference of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) for a single candidate. They realise that as leaders, they need to unite the PLP and the party to take on the Tories. Both of them bring real talents to the table, so wouldn't it be great if they could combine those talents to take on Jeremy and John McDonnell together?” |
| The uphill struggle facing the Corbyn critics was shown by a YouGov poll of Labour members for The Times, which suggested that Mr Corbyn would easily defeat either challenger. He lead Ms Eagle by 24 points, with 58 per cent to 34 per cent of the vote. Mr Smith trailed Mr Corbyn by a similar margin — 56 per cent to 34 per cent. | The uphill struggle facing the Corbyn critics was shown by a YouGov poll of Labour members for The Times, which suggested that Mr Corbyn would easily defeat either challenger. He lead Ms Eagle by 24 points, with 58 per cent to 34 per cent of the vote. Mr Smith trailed Mr Corbyn by a similar margin — 56 per cent to 34 per cent. |
| The findings were hailed by allies of Mr Smith, who argue that a fresh face is needed to have any hope of defeating Mr Corbyn. Some 69 per cent of Labour members said they know either “not much” or “nothing at all” about Mr Smith, while only one per cent said the same about Mr Corbyn and 26 per cent about Ms Eagle. | The findings were hailed by allies of Mr Smith, who argue that a fresh face is needed to have any hope of defeating Mr Corbyn. Some 69 per cent of Labour members said they know either “not much” or “nothing at all” about Mr Smith, while only one per cent said the same about Mr Corbyn and 26 per cent about Ms Eagle. |