THE LABOUR Party’s devastating defeat in the general election on December 12, Jeremy Corbyn’s revelation that he would not stand in another and the resignation of deputy leader Tom Watson has paved the way for not one but two leadership races.

We take a look at some of the MPs who are in contention for either one of the top spots of leader and deputy leader.

Dawn Butler

MP for Brent Central
Shadow women’s and equalities minister

Shortly after Labour’s former deputy leader Tom Watson announced he would be stepping down, Butler told Bloomberg TV: “I thought very carefully about who should replace Tom and, after giving it some thought, I will be throwing my hat in the ring.”

The shadow cabinet minister is often sat next to Jeremy Corbyn during debates PMQ’s and is one of his closest allies. While unsurprisingly disappointed in Labour’s loss at the general election, Butler has remained loyal to Corbyn and refused to back calls for him to go.

Butler is likely to be joined in the race for the deputy role by Angela Rayner. While Rayner has not publicly declared her intentions, it is reported that she is considering challenging for the position as she did not want to run against her close friend Rebecca Long-Bailey.

David Lammy

MP for Tottenham

The outspoken MP has hinted at a possible bid for the Labour leadership in a recent article in The Observer. Reflecting on Labour’s defeat and Boris Johnson’s victory, Lammy called for “civic nationalism” as a response to what he called “Johnson’s ethnic nationalism”.

Musing on should lead Labour’s charge to win back the country, Lammy said: “As for which Labour figure I believe is best-placed to lead this hopeful vision, I will consider that over Christmas.”

If he does enter the race and subsequently wins, Lammy would be the first black leader of the Labour Party.

Clive Lewis

MP for Norwich South
Shadow minister for sustainable economics

Shadow treasury minister Clive Lewis announced his intention to stand in the forthcoming leadership race last week.

Writing in The Guardian, Lewis said he was standing “for the simple reason that if I don’t, certain necessary truths may go unspoken during the debates of the coming months”.

The former BBC journalist said: “Persuading voters that we understand the sources of their long-held resentment and frustration, of their disappointment in how Labour has conducted itself since the 1990s, will be the first step towards winning back their trust.”

Lewis outlined Labour’s handling of the Brexit conversation as one area of failure.

“The truth is that indecisiveness and triangulation on the Brexit issue saw Jeremy’s favourability ratings fall from positive to catastrophic after the June 2017 election. Such prevarication and lack of leadership must never characterise our politics again,” he wrote.

Emily Thornberry, the MP for Islington South and Finsbury, has also officially announced her desire to become the party’s next leader.

Shadow foreign secretary Thornberry said that while she believed she was the right person to take over the reigns, if polls and her colleagues indicated that she could not win over the electorate, she would step down.

Also tipped to join the race are shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, shadow secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy Rebecca Long-Bailey, Jess Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, and practising GP and shadow sports minister Rosena Allin-Khan.

Allin-Khan told the Sunday Times that she will have “lots of conversations with my family and friends, and make a decision in January”.

Who would you like to see become the next leader of the Labour party? Let us know by commenting below.