3. Efficiency Gains: Labour

The 2019 general election called time on Labour’s experiment with radical left politics under Jeremy Corbyn, as Labour fell to its lowest seat total since 1935. Though some diehard advisors urged him to fight on, Corbyn recognised he could not continue after such a catastrophe. But he also determined not to depart immediately, pledging to stay on as caretaker leader during a ‘period of reflection’ for his party. While Corbyn’s choice was motivated by a desire to avoid a repeat of the power vacuum which followed Ed Miliband’s abrupt election night resignation in 2015, the lack of a clear departure date upset internal critics, obliging Corbyn to clarify that he would stand down as soon as a successor was chosen. The general election’s proximity to Christmas delayed the succession process, with a timetable for the leadership contest finally agreed by Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on 6 January 2020, nearly a month after polling day. Prospective candidates had two bars to clear—securing nominations from at least 22 MPs or MEPs by 13 January, and endorsements from 33 Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) or three Labour affiliates by 15 February. Voting would then run from 24 February until 2 April, with the winner announced on 4 April.