Sir Keir Starmer has been elected as the new leader of the Labour Party.
The 57-year old defeated Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy in a ballot of party members, trade unionists and registered supporters and will succeed Jeremy Corbyn as opposition leader.
The lawyer, who became an MP in 2015, won on the first round of voting, with more than 50% of the vote.
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner defeated four other candidates to become the party’s deputy leader.
Sir Keir, the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, in London, had been the odds-on favourite to win the contest, having received the backing of more MPs and local Labour branches than his rivals as well as significant union support.
During the three month campaign, he argued he was best placed to unite the party and set it back on the road to power after its heavy defeat in December’s general election – which prompted Mr Corbyn to say he would stand down.
He has described himself as a socialist but not a Corbynite, and vowed to keep key policies from the Corbyn era, such as nationalising rail, mail and water and repealing anti-union laws, in a 10-point plan.
But his first task will be to lead Labour’s response to the coronavirus emergency, and he has been invited to take part in cross-party talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the government’s top scientific advisers next week, to “work together” on the crisis.
Sir Keir led the Crown Prosecution Service before entering frontline politics. He served in Mr Corbyn’s top team for more than three years where he was responsible for the party’s Brexit policy.
Saturday’s result was announced by e-mail after plans for a public event were dropped due to the coronavirus crisis.
The outcome means that Labour’s long wait for its first permanent female leader goes on – Harriet Harman and Margaret Beckett have both been interim leaders in the past.
In the deputy leadership contest, the 40-year old Ms Rayner beat Ian Murray, Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler and Rosena Allin-Khan. The position has been vacant since Tom Watson stood down at the general election.
