If Starmer goes Reeves is by far the best alternative
One thing I’ve been looking for in the coverage of the Labour conference is who would be the runners if for whatever reason Starmer ceases to be leader. With the pandemic totally dominating everything since the general election it has been a struggle for opposition politicians to get a look in.
The person who has really impressed me so far is the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves. Judging by the TV coverage she had a good day yesterday with her speech bringing standing ovations from the party faithful. She sounds and looks like a plausible leader in a way that the other possible front runners do not.
She was educated at two of my former employers, LSE and Oxford University, and before becoming an MP at GE2010 had spent a decade at the Bank of England.
I would like to say I got an amazing bet on her but I didn’t. I got a few pounds on at an effecitve 12/1 on Betfair which is OK but lower than I was expecting given it could be years before this be could come to fruition.