AFP/London
A devastated Ed Miliband resigned yesterday after talking to staff at the party’s headquarters, admitting the scale of the crushing defeat had taken him and his staff by surprise.
There had been some discussion that he would stay on as a caretaker leader - just as Michael Howard did following the Conservative defeat in 2005 - but it appears Miliband has decided it is better to have an immediate break.
His close staff are said to be deeply upset, struggling with the disappointment made deeper by opinion polls that had led them to believe they had blocked David Cameron from getting a clear path back to Downing Street. Miliband described the result as very difficult and disappointing, adding that the party in Scotland had been overtaken by a surge of nationalism that had overwhelmed the party.
It was not yet clear whether Harriet Harman, the deputy leader, will stand down at the same time or remain to oversee the election. Both the Labour leader and deputy leader posts are elected by an electoral college.
There had been discussions at one point suggesting the Conservatives might possess only a fragile majority in the Commons, requiring Miliband to be at Westminster to harry Cameron and act as an effective opposition. There had even been speculation that Cameron might be forced into a second election in a year, requiring Miliband to stay at the helm.
There will be a contest for both the leadership and deputy leadership, if Harriet Harman decides to stand down after five years as deputy leader.
Speculation will immediately turn to possible contenders, including the shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, the shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham, the shadow health minister, Liz Kendall, and the shadow justice minister, Dan Jarvis. Burnham will start as favourite, but the party will scrutinise each leader very closely.
It is also expected that Tom Watson will stand for the post of deputy leader, offering himself as the kind of man that can build the party organisation. It is not known if Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, will want to stand as her family nurses the deep wound of her husband losing his seat.
