The Prime Minister has told the country that he will be leaving office, and now Labour will choose a new leader who will then form a government. The process will start on July 9th when Labour’s National Executive Committee opens nominations, and will be completed before Parliament resumes after its summer recess, in September.
This is not a system I would have chosen, as I feel that the country as a whole should be able to make the choice of the person who plays such an important role in our lives. However as things stand there is no need to call a General Election when changing party leader and that person will become Prime Minister as long as they have the support of a majority of the House of Commons. This is the way that several Conservative PMs took office over the last decade, and it is what will happen now.
It may be that the process means there isn’t even an election within the Labour Party, if only one MP comes forward for consideration. This is how both Theresa May and Rishi Sunak became PM.
But whatever happens, and whoever takes over, I will continue to push the Labour government to do all it can for Cambridge, in the short and long term. I am focused on the changes facing Cambridge. We have to manage the complex process of moving to a unitary authority. We have to work to shape the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation so that it supports our ambitions for the region. We have to continue to deliver on our promise to build good, affordable housing.
While there are many things about current Labour policies I disagree with, around immigration and refugee policies, trans rights, and the ways terrorism legislation has been used, I choose to fight them within Labour, and I believe that Cambridge will do best with a Labour administration that works closely with the other parties.
We should also remember what the government has achieved under Keir Starmer. Since July 2024 we have seen things like the creation of Great British Energy, the warm homes plan to invest in energy efficiency in up to 5 million homes and of course major moves towards rail renationalisation. The Employment Rights Act banned exploitative zero-hour contracts and strengthened protections against unfair dismissal, and the Renters’ Rights Act has made life for tenants more secure.
It is a record we should be proud of. As Keir Starmer said, his successor will “inherit a Britain that is far better and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago”. I want to make sure that we continue make the country fairer and better.