Labour should elect a moderate leader like Leeds MP Rachel Reeves to succeed Jeremy Corbyn – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: David Schofield, Highfield Drive, Garforth.
Would Leeds West MP rachel Reeves be a good leader of the Labour party in  succession to Jeremy Corbyn?Would Leeds West MP rachel Reeves be a good leader of the Labour party in  succession to Jeremy Corbyn?
Would Leeds West MP rachel Reeves be a good leader of the Labour party in succession to Jeremy Corbyn?

IF Labour has decided that the party lost the election due to poor leadership and extreme left wing policies, then the last thing it should be doing is aiming for more of the same.

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The Labour front bench was stuffed with Jeremy Corbyn’s cronies, so how can they consider the likes of Rebecca Long-Bailey, Angela Rayner, Sir Keir Starmer or Emily Thornberry?

Who should replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader?Who should replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader?
Who should replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader?

What is needed is a sensible, intelligent, moderate and experienced MP. It’s a shame Caroline Flint lost her seat, she would have been the perfect choice. However, perhaps we should look no further than Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves.

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The first time she stood as a Labour candidate in a General Election, I was the presiding officer at a polling station.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry is to stand for the Labour leadership - despite a high-profile row with defeated Don Valley MP Caroline Flint.Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry is to stand for the Labour leadership - despite a high-profile row with defeated Don Valley MP Caroline Flint.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry is to stand for the Labour leadership - despite a high-profile row with defeated Don Valley MP Caroline Flint.

I remember her introducing herself and chatting about all the different polling stations she had visited that day. She was the only candidate to do that and I was highly impressed.

I often read her articles in The Yorkshire Post, and whilst I rarely agree with her, she is passionate in what she believes in.

Many MPs are reluctant to shoulder the burden of responsibility that high office demands.

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I have never voted Labour, nor am I likely to do so, but I believe that Mr Corbyn’s successor should come from the moderate backbenches, otherwise Labour will find themselves in the political wilderness for a very long time.

If Labour go for more of the same, then I think Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings will be laughing their socks off.

From: Peter Wood, Bessacarr, Doncaster.

AS a Northern working class voter, I’m used to being despised by the Tories, but now it seems I’m also despised by Labour.

If Labour is to become a serious political force again it could do worse than take some advice from a lifelong supporter:

Don’t choose a leader who is unelectable.

Stop waging a class war which was lost decades ago.

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Build policies around consensus where working people and businesses have a mutual interest in being successful.

From: Mrs C Allman, Farsley, Pudsey.

I’M not a lover of Jeremy Corbyn but all those MPs in Labour who wanted to stop in the EU have ruined the party – and Corbyn went along with them. And if former miners believe that Boris Johnson is going to keep his word, they must believe in fairies.

From: Keith Turnbull, Ryton Way, Doncaster.

THE sadness of the election results is the loss of Caroline Flint who remained loyal to her constituents and was on the side of Leave in the various votes in Parliament.

In contrast, Yvette Cooper, who didn’t follow the Leave wishes of her constituents and voted Remain, retained her seat. How unjust is that?