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".
-
‘The Taliban delivers yet another brutal blow’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversalSpeed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
Prime minister shocks France with resignationSpeed Read French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his government’s resignation after less than a month in office
-
Your Party: a Pythonesque shamblesTalking Point Comical disagreements within Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's group highlight their precarious position
-
Is Andy Burnham making a bid to replace Keir Starmer?Today's Big Question Mayor of Manchester on manoeuvres but faces a number of obstacles before he can even run
-
Angela Rayner: the rise and fall of a Labour stalwartIn the Spotlight Deputy prime minister resigned after she underpaid £40,000 in stamp duty
-
The runners and riders for the Labour deputy leadershipThe Explainer Race to replace Angela Rayner likely to come down to Starmer loyalist vs. soft-left MP supported by backbenchers and unions
-
How should Keir Starmer right the Labour ship?Today's Big Question Rightward shift on immigration and welfare not the answer to 'haemorrhaging of hope, trust and electoral support'
-
'Three Pads' Rayner: a housing hypocrite?Talking Point As real estate moguls go, the Deputy PM is 'hardly Donald Trump'
-
Who will win the battle for the soul of the Green Party?An ideological divide is taking root among the environmentalists
-
Are we facing a summer of riots?Today's Big Question Anti-immigrant unrest in Essex has sparked fears of a summer of disorder
