Keir Starmer refused to get drawn on whether he would include Jeremy Corbyn in his shadow cabinet today.
The outgoing leader has said he would be “happy” to carry on serving as a senior member of Labour’s top team if he was asked, a move which is seen as a boon for shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey.
But Starmer is more likely to want to shake things up if he wins the leadership contest.
Where Corbyn would fit naturally into Long-Bailey’s shadow cabinet alongside figureheads such as Angela Rayner, Richard Burgon and Zarah Sultana, a different picture is emerging in regards to the shadow Brexit secretary’s picks.
We take a look at the possible candidates to lead Labour into the next election if Starmer is elected leader:
Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband has been tipped to make a return to the front bench as the shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The former Labour leader would replace John McDonnell in the position in move that has been described as a masterstroke by certain Tory MPs.
Stephen Bush of the New Statesman reported that many of Keir Starmer’s inner circle are admirers of the Doncaster North MP.
He said opposition MPs “aren’t laughing” at the idea of him returning to the front bench with Starmer as leader.
Yvette Cooper
One of Labour’s best-known backbench MPs, Yvette Cooper could return to the fold under Starmer’s leadership after she was shunned by Corbyn.
The MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford was tipped as a potential successor to the current Labour leader before ruling herself out of the race.
She said she believes Sir Keir is best placed to ‘get us out of the hole that we’re in’.
Lisa Nandy
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has won a lot of plaudits during the leadership race, and although she is still considered a relative outsider, senior Conservative MPs are rumoured to have said she is the one they are most scared of getting in.
Nandy is seen as a natural fit in a Starmer shadow cabinet, and confirmed this weekend that she would be happy to serve alongside him or Long-Bailey in whatever role they choose to give her.
Jim McMahon
Jim McMahon may be relatively unknown outside Westminster and Labour circles, but the MP for Oldham West and Royton is seen as a key ally by Starmer, so much so that he stood in for him this month at a local government leadership hustings event, when Starmer’s mother-in-law was critically ill.
Rachel Reeves
Chair of the Commons business committee, Rachel Reeves was also touted to run for the leadership for a short while, seen as a moderate candidate who could entice voters from across the board.
Related: Starmer calls for Labour unity as members prepare to vote for new leader
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