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Hunt for a red by October

Tristram Hunt’s concession that he could not gather enough momentum to support a potential leadership bid amongst the Parliamentary Labour Party may say a lot about where this race is heading.

Hopeful leaders need the support of 15 per cent (or 35 MPs) of their parliamentary colleagues to make it onto the ballot paper. With Hunt not being able to manage that, and reports that both Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper are closing in on the support of 100 MPs each, the party could end up with a two horse race. Labour has 232 MPs in the Commons, meaning ‘moderniser’ candidates Liz Kendall and Mary Creagh will struggle to get over the hill and onto the shortlist to be put before party members, unions and affiliated bodies over the summer.

In order for a more diverse line up, some MPs could agree to switch their nominations to candidates lacking the number needed as supporters of David Miliband did for Diane Abbott in 2010. You would think Labour would want as broad a field as possible to allow for a comprehensive debate on the Party’s future. Despite this being the sort of post-mortem that so many immediately called for after defeat, Labour MPs may have closed such a debate down before it has begun.

The Business of an EU referendum

With some politicians pushing for the Conservatives to bring the EU referendum forward to next year, industry experts have developed differing views about the possible exit from the Union. Top names in industry have not wasted any time in making their stance clear as the debate hots up.

“Business must be crystal clear that membership (of the EU) is in our national interest. The EU is key to our national prosperity.” No prizes for guessing what stance Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of the Confederation of British Industry, is taking over EU membership. If you were in any doubt, he went on to make the case that Britain must remain at the heart of a reformed EU, contributing further to a pro-EU direction (worth bearing in mind he also advocated Britain joining the Euro…). Similarly Paul Khan, President of Airbus UK, said that the European company would reconsider investment in the UK in the event of Britain leaving the EU.

Yet other business leaders are decidedly more relaxed about a potential departure from the EU. Lord Bamford, Chairman of construction firm JCB, says that his company has nothing to fear, stating that “(the UK) could exist on our own – peacefully and sensibly.”

Love it or leave it, the EU means business.

Unfinished business secretary

Following his shock defeat at the General Election, former Business Secretary and Lib Dem MP Vince Cable, has offered his own analysis of why he believes his party failed so dismally.

Writing in the New Statesman, Cable has argued that a campaign of fear, mobilised by the Tories, was primarily to blame for the disappointing Lib Dem losses. In particular he cited Conservative messaging on the “chaos [and] fear of Ed Miliband’s socialism”. He also blamed the “Scottish effect” for the Lib Dem failure, which he claimed “carried a lot more weight than the bedroom tax or even the mansion tax”; persuading the electorate to vote against a strong Scottish voice in a weak Labour-led government.

The only thing that appears to escape Vince’s blame is his own party’s failings; of which this Smith Square correspondent will spare his blushes…

Cable concludes his analysis by hinting at the potential of a Lib Dem and Labour alliance; he suggests the possibility of “a pincer movement from the centre and centre left under plausible new leaders”, as a result of increasing disillusionment with the Tories.

A Burgeoning Tendency

Tuesday of this week saw a freshly elected cohort of MPs sworn in to Parliament. Over the years this ritual, and more importantly the connotations behind it, have evolved significantly.

This archaic tradition dates back over 400 years and was originally intended as an oath of loyalty to the crown. The act of being sworn in was essentially a filtering system to ensure that defective or partisan individuals were barred from serving in high public office. Nowadays, it simply provides an opportunity for a mischievous politician to cause a bit of a stir.

Indeed, Richard Burgon MP saw his parliamentary enrolment as an opportunity to call for the abolition of the monarchy. Burgon stated that "As someone that believes that the head of state should be elected I make this oath in order to serve my constituents." Such acts of defiance are not a rarity. In 1997, the republican Tony Banks opted to cross his fingers while making his affirmation. Indeed, even as far back as the 17th Century, Quaker MPs chose to swear allegiance not to the crown, but to God.

Despite its controversy this long running tradition shows no signs of ending.