Diane Abbott: Labour’s choice for Mayor of London

Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott turned the race to become Labour Mayoral Candidate on its head by heading a poll beating all her rivals.

Diane Abbott has leapfrogged Dame Tessa Jowell as Labour supporters’ choice to be the party’s contender for London Mayor in 2016, a new poll reveals today.

The longest serving Black MP, Abbott surpassed the former front Dame Tessa Jowell with 17 percent of people intending to vote Labour at the 2015 General Election, compared to 14 percent for Dame Tessa, according to the YouGov survey.

A similar poll last October had former Olympic Minister Dame Jowell, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, on 20 percent, and Abbott on 13 percent.

Abbott told the Evening Standard that the results were “encouraging”, adding:

We have got a year to go before Labour selects its candidate and I certainly don’t rule out running for Mayor.”

What makes this race interesting is the fact that not only is this job one of the most powerful and prestigious in British politics, but the way Labour plans to select its candidate is through the American “primary” system, where people register as a supporter of the party and pay a small fee to take part in the vote. This means you don’t necessarily have to be a Labour party member to vote for your preferred candidate.

It’s a long way to go until the 2016 election, but this will be a fiercely fought after role.

Simon Woolley