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  1. Spotlight on Policy
  2. Elections
15 June 2010updated 27 Sep 2015 2:18am

What will Cruddas the kingmaker do about the leadership?

Independent-minded MP may hold a key to party’s future.

By James Macintyre

My colleague George Eaton has blogged about Jon Cruddas’s endorsement of Ken Livingstone as Labour’s candidate for mayor of London, a move which — following that of David Lammy — probably seals the deal for Red Ken.

Now, the big question is who this thoughtful MP will really back for the Labour party leadership. He nominated Diane Abbott, but that is effectively meaningless (so did David Miliband, yet it is likely he wants another candidate to win). Cruddas has to decide, if he hasn’t done so already, which out of the Miliband brothers and Ed Balls — the three front-runners — can best carry out his progressive, pluralistic agenda in a credible way.

The rumour was that he would form a “dream ticket” with David Miliband, but he has yet to declare. That prospect makes a lot of sense, but my guess is that he is torn between the brothers. We shall see.

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