Labour should unite behind Sir Keir Starmer, say councillors

Sir Starmer was announced as the replacement for Jeremy Corbyn on Saturday, picking up 56 per cent of Labour members’ votes ahead of Rebecca Long-Bailey on 28 per cent and Lisa Nandy on 16 per cent.

The 57-year-old became a barrister in 1987, was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 2002 and spent five years as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008.

He has served as MP for Holborn and St Pancras, in London, since May 2015 – serving as shadow immigration minister from September 2015, before being named shadow Brexit secretary from October 2016.

Cllr Gina Lewis, Cheshire West and Chester councillor for Over and Verdin, said: "I voted for him, and I certainly feel that in these first few days he has shown the leadership qualities which I expected.

"I am looking forward to seeing the rest of his shadow cabinet and the people that he has got around him to move things forward.

"Obviously the last few months have been very difficult and being leader under the present circumstances is going to test him.

"Whilst I admire the qualities of Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, I just felt that he was the right person for the job."

Cllr Jonathan Parry, Cheshire East councillor for Middlewich, voted for Lisa Nandy – but has 'no problem' with the result.

He said: "My reason for voting for Lisa was that I felt it was time for a female leader, but I think Keir is a good choice going forward.

"What the party needs to do now is unite behind him.

"He has already made some changes which are very positive, putting the right people in the right roles based on their skills rather than just who they know.

"There is a lot of work for him to do but I am more positive about the party again now."

Cllr Nathan Pardoe, CWAC member for Wharton, did not vote for Sir Starmer but believes it is now time for the party to unite around him.

He said: "Keir talked about the moral case for socialism during his campaign.

"His pledges for economic, social and climate justice recognise the public support for Labour Party values and the policy shifts which we owe to Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

"Our personal preferences for leader don't matter now, members have chosen Keir.

"We must unite and achieve the vision for society which party members share and which the country desperately needs."

While she is disappointed a woman has not been chosen for the role, Cllr Carol Bulman, CEC member for Middlewich who backed Ms Long-Bailey, is satisfied with the result.

She said: "I did not vote for Keir but I liked him. I think most people see him as a man of integrity.

"I don't think he will diverge massively from Jeremy Corbyn's policies of nationalisation and I think most people in this country would benefit hugely from those policies.

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"He will be democratic – come the next manifesto he will make sure that those policies have been really looked at carefully and clearly costed, and I think he is a safe pair of hands.

"I had really hoped this time that the Labour Party would elect a woman to lead – we have got lots of good female talent in the party and I think it would have attracted a lot of people."