Emily Thornberry has been tipped to be the next Labour leader by the head of Britain's biggest union.
According to the HuffPost, Unite's General Secretary Len McCluskey told friends the party's next leader has to be a woman and said he sees the shadow foreign secretary as "a tough cookie who isn't afraid of taking big decisions".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to The Guardian, McCluskey said Thornberry was a "unifying figure" and tipped her for the job, whenever a vacancy might arise.
A Unite spokesman insited the union boss fully supports current leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Thornberry, who is also shadow first secretary of state, has impressed Labour members when standing in for Corbyn at Prime Minister's Questions. She has won favour for her blunt attacks on Tory cabinet ministers and assured media performances in the run-up to the election.
Although a close ally of Corbyn - the pair represent neighbouring constituencies Islington North and Islington South - Thornberry does not have a long association with the hard left of her party, unlike other touted successors.
Following Labour's better-than-expected performance in June's election, "Corbyn's backers now believe there is time for other potential candidates – including Rebecca Long-Bailey, a close ally of the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, as well as Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary – to build up more experience," says The Guardian.
Nevertheless, says the Daily Telegraph, "given Unite is one of the biggest donors to the labour party and a key ally in terms of winning conference votes, McCluskey's opinion is a powerful one".
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
-
West Africa’s ‘coup cascade’The Explainer Guinea-Bissau takeover is the latest in the Sahel region, which has quietly become global epicentre of terrorism
-
Daddy Pig: an unlikely flashpoint in the gender warsTalking Point David Gandy calls out Peppa Pig’s dad as an example of how TV portrays men as ‘useless’ fools
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?
Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
-
The launch of Your Party: how it could workThe Explainer Despite landmark decisions made over the party’s makeup at their first conference, core frustrations are ‘likely to only intensify in the near-future’
-
What does the fall in net migration mean for the UK?Today’s Big Question With Labour and the Tories trying to ‘claim credit’ for lower figures, the ‘underlying picture is far less clear-cut’
-
Will the public buy Rachel Reeves’s tax rises?Today’s Big Question The Chancellor refused to rule out tax increases in her televised address, and is set to reverse pledges made in the election manifesto
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
The Chinese threat: No. 10’s evidence leads to more questionsTalking Point Keir Starmer is under pressure after collapsed spying trial
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rightsThe Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
