OK- fellow Labour Party members...

[BertrandRussell]

.....we’re all agreed that we need to be pragmatic, cynical and hard headed in the choice of the next leader and deputy, yes?

So, who? Who has a chance of getting us into power in the foreseeable future? Starmer and Philips?

It is a shame YC isn't standing.

I will need to rejoin to vote, and can’t decide. If I do though, it would be Keir Starmer. Not sure about deputy but feel Rayner doesn’t always come across very well.

I'm not a member right now but the only one that might persuade me to join would be Starmer.

Starmer
I don't want a woman if they are not the best person for the job.

And I certainly wouldn't vote for Butler as deputy - she doesn't even know what a woman is.

It is not a shame that YC isn't standing. I think her reputation exceeds her ability tbh. She says nothing in interviews except word soup.
I blame her and her ilk for failing to support Corbyn when he was elected by the party. Their denigration of him then is partly to blame for the state we are in now.

Neither Phillips or Nandy can be deputy as they're standing in the leadership contest - it's not a case of runner up gets deputy.

I think it will be Starmer and Rayner, and that's probably the combination that will get the Labour Party furthest towards being elected again (although I would be amazed if that happens at the next election)

I love Jess Philips, she's a breath of fresh air. I'd probably vote Labour if she was leader because I'd actually trust that she had all of our best interests at heart. Hope I'm allowed to add my two penn'orth as a current non Labour voter.

Namechangeyay I've heard Jess answer questions about trans rights and self ID at a book event and she struck me as having a fair and level headed approach to it all.

I won’t vote for the further eradication of trans rights

What rights are being eradicated?

I've just joined as an affiliate and it's definitely Starmer but undecided for deputy. You lot can tell me the pros and cons.

(I joined through Christians on the Left, who asked me was my gender male, female or other so I told them "other - my sex is female").

I don't know, I'm so undecided.

I want Labour to stay socialist, but I'm unimpressed by Rebecca Long-Bailey. I'll probably vote for Keir Starmer - so that we have a chance.

I love Jess Phillips, so I’m torn between voting for her because I respect her, and Keir Starmer (who I haven’t forgiven for the twitter joke trial farce when he was DPP which displayed an appalling lack of judgment) because I think he is most likely to take the party back to being effective opposition.

And Jess Phillips a “TERF”?

Keir starmer. Feel hopefull he will be able to win the next election when the tories fail to deliver.

Starmer hands down.

I love them both for different reasons. Not a labour voter so far but either of them could get me to reconsider.

I do think Jess is going to suffer from the chronic sexism inherent in the British media hugely but let's face it she's more than expecting it - fighting misogyny is what she does best - and we can't just not vote for a woman because she's likely to get dragged through the tabloids - if anything that should make people more determined.

@namechangeyay - you know on MN 'terf' is a) a sexist slur used to silence women and b) factually inaccurate don't you? And using it against someone here will only gain them support? Good. Cheers for that.

I think Jess Phillips is terrific but she's still quite young and hasn't yet had shadow cabinet experience. I think it's probably better to give her a couple more years to get that experience and then take over as leader. If she does it too early, she could crash and burn and that would be a terrible waste of someone who clearly has the potential to go very far.

I think Keir Starmer is probably quite a good choice at the moment. He understands the details of Brexit and as an ex barrister, is presumably experienced in taking other people's arguments apart forensically. I think having someone like that at the dispatch box is going to be very helpful as the conservatives attempt to negotiate a non-disastrous trade agreement.

Another Starmer vote from me. Undecided re deputy.

“ V v sad that it will probably be another middle class white man from the same be small patch of north London is going to be labour leader again. No wonder they are having trouble appealing to the working class northern voter.”

This really is bollocks, sorry. The “working class northern voter” who voted for Boris Johnson?

I think Jess Philips would deem constricted and gagged by being Leader.

Starmer for me too. Joined to vote for Philips but I’m too scared Long Bailey could win so will vote Starmer. The mps seem behind him too which will make a refreshing change!

I’ve rejoined to vote.
Starmer for leader.
I’m unsure of who I’m going to vote for out the deputy candidates yet: Angela Rayner, Ian Murray, Dawn Butler, Rosena Allin-Khan and Richard Burgon.

I think Starmer for me too. I do like Jess Phillips, but think her time will come. The important thing is who the voters in the North are most likely to vote for. I think it's Starmer.

Yes, important to remember there's nearly 20 years between Starmer and Phillips. I agree, her time will come and the intervening years will prepare her for whatever our sexist society can throw at her as PM/ Leader.