New Labour Leader

Ed Milliband has won the contest to become the new leader of the labour party.

Mid Sussex parliamentary campaigner Serena Tierney commented "I congratulate Ed Miliband on his election as Labour leader and welcome his statement that he will work with the coalition government where he agrees with it.
His wafer-thin victory came as a result of union votes - his brother David won a majority amongst MPs and members. This further discredits the system of unions deciding how the Labour party is run. I'm glad that I belong to a one-member-one-vote party. Our leader was elected by a majority of Liberal Democrat members".

For information, David Miliband won the majority of support across membership and MPs, but it was Ed that clinched it on the union vote. It is important to point out that Ed Miliband did not win the MP or party membership vote.

David M, 17% MPs, 18% Membership and 13% in unions.
Ed M, 16% MPs, 15% Membership and 19% in unions.

Ed Miliband won on the fourth round.

He beat brother David by the wafer thin margin of 50.65% to 49.35% after second, third and fourth preference votes came into play. Ed Balls was third, Andy Burnham fourth and Diane Abbott last in the ballot of MPs, members and trade unionists.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Simon Hughes offered congratulations.

“I want warmly to congratulate Ed Miliband on becoming the new Labour leader. It is good to hear that he intends to practice a new politics of working across party boundaries in the national interest.

The country has a tough time ahead and it will be vital that he wakes up to the challenge that Britain faces. As leader he must recognise that his party can no longer remain head-in-the-sand deficit deniers.

Much has to be done. We have to restore Britain’s reputation around the world, which was broken by a foreign policy under Tony Blair. And we must restore our economy, broken by the boom and bust of Gordon Brown.

I also hope he will work to help clean up politics, end vested interests and as a leader elected by the alternative vote, I call on him to support the cross-party campaign for a fairer voting system from now until the referendum next May."