Ed Balls to join leadership race
Former children's secretary Ed Balls is set to become the latest candidate to throw his hat into the ring to succeed Gordon Brown as Labour leader, it has emerged.
It is expected that Mr Balls - long regarded as Mr Brown's closest lieutenant in the Cabinet - will formally declare his candidacy later today.
He will join brothers David and Ed Miliband - the former foreign and energy secretaries - who have already declared they will be contenders in the race for the Labour crown.
Left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell is expected to announce that he also intends to stand in the leadership campaign.
The party's ruling national executive committee (NEC) has announced the contenders will face a lengthy four-month contest. Under the timetable set out by the NEC, the new leader will finally be announced on September 25 at the party's annual conference in Manchester.
Acting leader Harriet Harman said she expected it would produce a "very dynamic" campaign which would enable the party to re-engage with the public over the course of the summer.
However, the arrangements were angrily denounced by Mr McDonnell as a "fix" biased towards the Labour hierarchy's favoured candidates.
Mr McDonnell, who tried unsuccessfully to stand against Mr Brown in 2007, complained that would-be contenders had been given just four days to get the backing of the 33 MPs needed to go forward.
"It prevents rank-and-file party members having any say over the process. Labour MPs will have no real opportunity to consult their local parties and constituency parties will have no time to meet," he said.
The MP for Hayes and Harlington's complaints were echoed by fellow left-winger John Cruddas, who announced on Monday that he would not be a candidate.
