Labour may be beginning to flat-line in the polls, but there is no shortage of new names and rising stars to inject what seems to be currently missing in from Labour’s front-bench. So food for thought here for Ed Miliband, who topped the poll, despite his poor personal poll ratings. The Labour leader’s stand on Syria earned him plaudits – not least because this year’s expert judges didn’t have to cower in an Anderson Shelter, which they may have done had David Cameron had his way in Parliament, and a Third World War broken out. Well, that’s what one of our more left wing judges felt anyway.
Judges instead met in the New Labour-ish surroundings of a plush meeting room in the Intercontinental Hotel Westminster, prompting one panel member to threaten to unleash his block vote and move proceedings to the real home of the Left, the Gay Hussar restaurant in Soho.
On the subject of block votes, although Ed Miliband’s position was unassailably ‘Number One’, the rise of Unite General Secretary, Len McCluskey to number 3 on the Left’s hit parade may cause Ed some sleepless nights. Labour’s ‘Special Conference’ on the union link is fast approaching, and what happens there may not only re-shape Labour, but answer the question; ‘who really leads labour?’ [NB ‘l’ in ‘labour’ deliberately lower case]
One of the big risers is Labour’s Health Spokesman, Andy Burnham, who has risen above petty internal spats, visibly mastered his brief and who is seen as one of Labour’s most effective performers despite some potentially career threatening problems in Stafford.
This year’s list shows some interesting trends; the steady rise of women such as Harriet Harman, Rachel Reeves (not so ‘snoring, boring’ to our gallant judges, but more a potential future leader), televisual Caroline Flint – and shooting up the list, the Deputy Editor of the New Statesman, Helen Lewis. Diane Abbott joined the list for the first time as did Dame Tessa Jowell. Then there are the Green women, with Caroline Lucas still very much the face of the Green Party, and being joined for the first time by the ennobled GLA Green Jenny Jones and new party leader, Natalie Bennett. The inexorable rise of lefty women was given a further boost by our overwhelmingly male panel with the arrival of Caitlin Moran, Caroline Criado Perez, Laura Bates, Zoe Williams and the indefatigable, Mary Beard.
Two of the big risers are Owen Jones, the bright young ‘go to’ commentator, who shoots into the Top 10 for the first time and the less well known, but agreeable Marc Stears, an old friend and academic of the Labour leader Ed Miliband, who contributes to speeches and policy making. Unfortunately for the man Miliband trusted to pull all of those policies together – the more or less invisible Jon Cruddas – judges thought it was less painful trying to watch a panda at Beijing zoo give birth. A similar thumbs down was given to Ed Miliband’s spin doctor, Tom Baldwin who was thought to have ‘lost the plot’. Douglas Alexander was thought to have a had a good year along with Michael Dugher, who was this year promoted into the Shadow Cabinet while Jim Murphy, currently writing a football book, dropped back. Old Murphy protagonist, Tom Watson took a dive, largely because he resigned over the Falkirk affair. But the panel thought that Watson’s fortunes are likely to improve as he finds his voice on the outside.
Rising local government stars include, Sir Richard Leese, the imaginative leader of that Tory free zone, Manchester City Council, Lutfur Rahman of Tower Hamlets and Albert Bore (not snore) the veteran leader of Birmingham City Council.
Although the temporary absence of one of the jurors to a ‘comfort break’ provided an opportunity for the rest of the panel to dump Tony Blair out of the Top 100 list altogether – his messianic intervention on Syria had the precise opposite effect of what he had intended. Two old hands from the Blair/Brown era, either made a return or moved further up the list. Alistair Darling has been running a highly competent campaign against the separatists in Scotland, and whose steadying hand, many in Labour would like to see back centre stage. Even that old vaudeville act, Peter Mandelson made a sly return to the list, stirring up trouble and reaction wherever he appears. Lord Adonis remained the most influential Blairite on the list, as he steps up his bid to become Labour’s candidate for Mayor of London. Elsewhere, and with said juror still enjoying a ‘comfort break’, the cull of the old guard continued with Alastair Campbell, John Prescott and Gordon Brown disappearing from the list, along with the Telegraph’s own Dan Hodges. While his influence wasn’t questioned his ‘tribal loyalty to Labour’ was.
Other new entries this year include that perennial favourite of the Left, playwright, Ken Loach, Labour blogger Mark Ferguson, comparative new-boy and Labour National Executive Committee replacement for Tom Watson, Jonathan Ashworth MP, alongside the pugilistic Simon Danczuk MP, the down to earth Lisa Nandy MP, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Salma Yaqoob. The panel waved goodbye to a handful of veterans from the print media; including Phil Collins, Jonathan Freedland and Andrew Rawnsley, who is seen as being not as close to the top as he was during the Blair/Brown years.
This was also seen as being a bad year for Stephen Twigg, and the Olympic shine has also dulled for Danny Boyle, who has also disappeared – until his next extravaganza lauding the National Health Service, when he is sure to make a stunning reappearance.
1. ( ) Ed Miliband
Leader of the Labour Party
Last year we said: “He may still not pass the ‘can you imagine him on the steps of Number Ten test’, but there’s no doubt about it, Ed Miliband has had a good year.” We can’t say the same this year. 2013 has so far been a terrible year for Miliband. His poll lead has more than halved and he’s failed to make any progress in announcing any meaningful new policies. Leadership chatter is on the increase and the Tories are dubbing him Kinnock Mark 2. Voters are giving him no credit for the Syria vote.
2. ( ) Ed Balls
Shadow Chancellor
Ed Balls continues to show a more human side to his personality but that won’t cut it if he cant come up with a viable economic alternative. The performance of the economy has cut the rug from under his fee. The next twelve months are crucial for Ed Balls. If he doesn’t pull a rabbit out of the hat he’s destined to plummet to mid-table mediocrity next year – like his beloved Norwich City.
3. (+1) Len McCluskey
General Secretary of Unite
Since Ed Miliband became leader Len McCluskey's union Unite has donated £5m to the Labour Party, confirming its position as Labour’s dominant funder. The recent candidate selection scandal demonstrate to many that Unite exerts undue influence in too many areas of the party. McCluskey maintains the veneer of supporting Ed Miliband but it said to be furious at the Labour leader’s barely veiled insults to the union movement in general .
4. (+5) Harriet Harman
Deputy Leader of the Opposition & Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Many seem to forget that Harriet Harman is the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Her brief includes a further two roles ensuring her place in the top 10 - firstly shadowing Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister, and secondly Deputy Leader of the Opposition standing in for Ed when he is away. No one can deny that she is an accomplished Commons performer and her restatements and defences of feminism have gone down very well in the party. It was rumoured she was very offended when her campaigning duties were taken away from her and given to Tom Watson. Now he is off the scene she may try and get them back. She has become a great survivor in British politics and if Labour win the next election she will play a big part in that government.
5. (-) Yvette Cooper
Shadow Home Secretary
Smile, Yvette, smile. If Ed Miliband falls on his face, Yvette Cooper is in prime position to take over, but she suffers from appearing to lack a sense of humour and being so on message it almost hurts. There’s no doubting her intellect, and she has it in her to be a complete politician. She needs to emerge from her husband’s shadow. She has the most high profile and media intensive brief, but as yet hasn’t made the most of the opportunities presented to her.
6. (-) Alex Salmond
First Minister for Scotland
Salmond survived the bad press he received as a result of cosying up to News International. His ability to shake off a scandal is reminiscent of “Teflon Tony”. The 2011 Scottish elections solidified him as the most remarkable left of centre politician in terms of elections since Tony Blair. Many were surprised when David Cameron allowed him to move the goalposts by allowing 16 year olds to vote to vote in the upcoming referendum, and that is why he poses such a threat. Many were appalled by his political gesture of waving the saltire following Andy Murray’s historic win at Wimbledon.
7. (+21) Owen Jones
Writer & commentator
If Owen Jones were a singer, he’d be Martine McCutcheon warbling ‘This is my Moment’. He is ubiquitous and the go to left wing commentator for any radio producer suffering a hangover who can’t be more original. He is a leading light in the People’s Assembly movement. But what is his long term goal? Where does he see himself in ten years time? Frankly, we haven’t a clue, but he gets more media than the whole Labour front bench put together, so he must be doing something right.
8. (+32) Marc Stears
Ed Miliband’s Chief Speechwriter & Fellow at IPPR
Marc Stears has known Ed Miliband longer than anybody on this list, except for the Labour leader’s brother David. They studied PPE together at Corpus Christi College, Oxford where Miliband, then called Ted, led a rent strike as JCR President. Stears, a political theorist, became an Oxford academic but has now joined the Westminster wonks at the IPPR, where he is trying to put some policy content into the ideas of ‘blue Labour’. The mild-mannered Stears has kept a much lower media profile than allies like Maurice Glasman, but he is the person most trusted by the Labour leader.
9. (+23) Andy Burnham
Shadow Health Secretary
Burnham was in essence a failure as Shadow Education Secretary, missing open goals in fighting Michael Gove’s education reforms and failing to create any sort of new policy. Ed Miliband reshuffled him to his natural habitat as Shadow Health Secretary, a job which he held in the last year of Brown’s government. He performed well in responding to the Hillsborough report. Despite a falling out with Ed Miliband he survived being axed, which has only gone on to strengthen the Burnham brand. He has a growing group of supporters among MPs and is on good terms with the unions. If 2015 does not go to plan, we could see Burnham stand again for the leadership.
10. (-2) Chuka Umunna
Shadow Business Secretary
Umunna is the highest ranked member of the 2010 intake on this list. Over the past two years he has experienced a stratospheric rise, from Ed Miliband’s PPS to his job now shadowing big beast Vince Cable at BIS. However his obvious leadership ambitions took a blow this year when it was revealed that someone from within his office had edited his Wikipedia page to dub him “the British Barack Obama”, despite him criticising the media for doing the same. To add further to his woes old social media posts were found written by him, complaining of the “trash and wannabes” in London clubs. Umunna can perform well under the pressure of Andrew Neil at the Beeb or Cable in the Commons, but he can fall in to the trap of taking himself too seriously, despite a winsome smile.
11. (+1) Margaret Hodge
Chair, Public Accounts Committee
Margaret Hodge has made more comebacks than Lazarus. Another year she rises up the rankings in this list, predominantly due to her strong performance in her role as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. Hardly a day goes by without a quote by Hodge in the papers or a clip on the news, but Hodge always comes across as authoritative rather than overtly partisan. Her amazing interrogations of Amazon directors and senior BBC staff had us all cheering whenever she landed a blow. She is the highest ranked “backbencher” on this list.
12. (+15) Rachel Reeves
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The highest placed female on the list of the new intake of Labour MPs, Reeves rise up the greasy pole has been extraordinary. Reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher she has had voice and media training, now an accomplished performer this bright young woman can even face Paxo with confidence. Despite Newsnight’s editor Ian Katz labelling her “boring, snoring”, we think she is anything but. Having worked as a Bank of England economist and for the think tank Demos, her economic expertise were rewarded when Ed Miliband made her Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
13. (+25) Stella Creasey
Shadow Minister for Crime Prevention
Another of the talented 2010 intake to make the list, Creasey is young, energetic and is a star of the future in the PLP. Her media performances are consistently impressive and we predict it won’t be long before she is in the Shadow Cabinet. Last year she was appointed by Ed Miliband as a Shadow Home Office Minister, and has garnered much media coverage for her campaign to tighten regulation on pay day loans. During the summer she received an enormous amount of press coverage for her dogged fight against trolls for threats of rape and even death. She is one of the strongest candidates for future leader of the party.
14. (+16) Michael Dugher
Shadow Minister without Portfolio and Vice-Chair of the Labour Party
Dugher survived Brown’s bunker to become PPS to Ed Miliband, and last year he was promoted into the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister without Portfolio. This year he was rewarded further when he was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Labour Party specialising in communications. An accomplished media strategist and performer, Dugher is seen as Miliband’s ‘attack dog’ who can be rather robust at times. Miliband’s continued promotion of Dugher proves he is a close ally and has the leader’s ear if ever he needs it.
15. (+19) Steve Richards
Chief Political Commentator, The Independent
Previously we described Steve Richards as “a fine journalist, at the top of his game”. He continues to write pieces which make people think – and by ‘people’ we mean those at the top of the three political parties. He has the unique talent of attracting praise from all parts of the left and right. His Rock ‘n’ Roll politics show was a real hit at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Our panellists were unanimous in placing Richards as the highest placed journalist on the list.
16. (+13) Douglas Alexander
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
An interesting year for Douglas Alexander. Whether it was skilful machinations or pure luck, he dealt the government their worst blow yet when there motion for Syrian intervention was defeated. Despite this he has yet to achieve anything that really marks him out as special. Many in the Labour Party openly question their policy on Europe and worry of the effect it may have at the ballot box. He might have the third most important job in the Shadow Cabinet, but it doesn’t give him much opportunity to perform to his best.
17. (+5) Alistair Darling
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Time has been good to Alistair Darling. Three and a half years on from the last election he is seen as an economic sage who advocated the right policy. Darling was one of the first in the Labour Party to recognize that cuts needed to be made, and has not stopped calling for them ever since. During media appearances he always seems dignified. Osborne would be wise to listen to his words on the dangers of too much quantitative easing. This year he spoke out against HS2 saying it would cost much more than the projected figures. There are quiet mutterings in the Labour Party that he could replace Balls as Shadow Chancellor, but this is more wishful thinking than reality. Darling launched the Scottish unionist campaign Better Together, guaranteeing him a high profile in the run up to the referendum.
18. (-3) Jim Murphy
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Murphy has found it difficult to really make an impact this year, but provided a well thought through and non-partisan opposition to some of the defence cuts. He spoke out bravely criticising the Unite union for “bullying” during the Falkirk selection row. Some have said that 2013 has not been his strongest year, it could be to do with the fact he is writing a book on football. As a Scottish Labour MP, he will be working with his colleague Alistair Darling to ensure a unionist vote in the 2014 referendum.
19. (-6) Polly Toynbee
Journalist & commentator
Polly Toynbee is the undisputed Queen of the Guardianistas, Her column is a must read for all self-respecting lefties, her writing has grown even more popular with her detailed and devastating critiques of the Coalition government. She has called for Labour to think about forming a coalition with the LibDems in the likely event of another hung parliament. One of our panellists described her as “the black widow of columnists”. She backed Blair, then stabbed him in the back. She backed Brown, then stabbed him in the back. She backed Ed Miliband. We wonder if he should be worried.
20. (-10) Lord Wood
Shadow Minister without Portfolio
Oxford don turned Gordon Brown’s special adviser, Stewart Wood was rewarded with a peerage by Ed Miliband after failing to get a seat in the May 2010 election. His Shadow Cabinet job as Minister without Portfolio is a lot more interesting than it first sounds, acting as he does as strategic advisor to Ed Miliband. He is adept at reaching out to thinkers, academia, policy-makers, the commentariat and others to develop new thinking and fresh ideas. He tweeted recently someone in his office had put his phone in a bag of Wotsits despite his cheese allergy. Maybe he hasn’t got as many friend as his thinks.
21. (-) Sadiq Khan
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Although a good media performance, Khan has yet to establish himself to the same extent in the House of Commons. Facing a Department with a myriad of problems and a strong opponent in Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, he has yet to land any real blows on the government. Last year we said Khan needed to “accomplish something”. Maybe, as many have speculated, that lies in the London Mayoralty and not the Commons.
22. (-4) Frances O’Grady
Next General Secretary of the TUC
Frances O’Grady is the first female General Secretary of the TUC in their 140 year history. She served as Brendan Barber’s deputy for nearly 10 years, establishing herself as an effective negotiator and great public speaker. The fact she was elected unopposed with the support of 32 out of the 54 affiliated unions, shows how highly regarded she is by the Trade Union movement. She had big shoes to fill following Barber and has performed well. She is another heavyweight voice who has expressed support for the People’s Assembly.
23. (-20) Jon Cruddas
Policy Review Coordinator
When Jon Cruddas was appointed by Miliband as Policy Review Coordinator and invited to the Shadow Cabinet, he instantly became one of the most influential people in the Labour Party. Cruddas is an original thinker and has a mammoth task ahead of him. It’s more than merely drawing up a list of policies, it’s giving Labour and particularly Ed Miliband a new identity. The main focus will be to reconnect with working class and convince the public of Labour’s economic competence. Some MPs have commented that there appears to be no policy review. One of panellists went further and described it as a “phantom pregnancy”, you wait another 9 months and there is still nothing there.
24. (-8) Bob Roberts
Director of Communications to Ed Miliband
The former Political Editor of the Daily Mirror joined Ed Miliband’s team two years ago and has injected some much needed bite into the press operation. He has seen off Tom Baldwin and is now the unchallenged media strategist. Liked and respected by the lobby he has overseen a transformation in Ed Miliband’s media presence by taking a few risks, which on the whole has paid off. However, can he work with the newly appointed Patrick Hennessy? Time will tell.
25. (-11) Ian McNichol
Labour Party General Secretary
Not the leader’s first choice for General Secretary post, McNicol is a former Union executive and election agent. The election by the NEC was declared to be unanimous. He has had to cope with conflicting reports about Labour Party membership figures. Harriet Harman claimed 70,000 extra members had joined since Ed Miliband became leader, but these were flatly contradicted by official figures given to the Electoral Commission which showed the actual rise was all of 38,000.
26. (+5) Paul Kenny
General Secretary, GMB
The brutal politics and financial weakness of the Labour Party were made plain when Kenny endorsed Ed Miliband. He implied that if Ed did not win then GMB would withdraw its money from Labour. It was a bluff but it was also the moment at which Ed’s campaign became deadly serious. Last year, the union which gives £1.4million to Labour a year, openly attacked Ed for the first time over his support of a public sector pay freeze. After Ed Miliband announced reform to the links between Labour and the Unions, Kenny warned him Labour could lose up to 90% of their funding.
27. (-20) Tom Watson
MP for West Bromwich East
Rupert Murdoch’s most hated MP, Tom Watson was duly rewarded for his longstanding campaign against News International when Miliband created the post of Deputy Party Chair just for him, and also appointed him as the party’s 2015 general election coordinator. But then it all went wrong. Depending on whose account you believe Watosn was forced to resign following the Falkirk selection scandal, or chose to. Watson is still very much a big beast, and the year ahead will be an interesting one. A comeback can never be ruled out. He’s done it twice before.
28. (-2) Carwyn Jones
First Minister of Wales
Carwyn Jones remains the most senior Labour politician in terms of elected office in the UK. Jones has openly attacked the UK government for the slow economic recovery, provoking Nick Clegg to tell him to “stop blaming London for everything” when he visited Wales. Although Jones is very popular in Wales, he has yet to properly establish himself within the wider national party.
29. (+10) Lord Adonis
Chair, Progress
Adonis is Chair of the Blairite think tank Progress, and according to our panel is highest ranked true Blairite on this list. He was asked by Ed Miliband to co-ordinate Labour’s industrial strategy with Chuka Umunna and Jon Cruddas, which he accepted. Last year he wrote a book on education reform entitled “Education, Education, Education” which was met with rave reviews. This year it was followed up by his account of the coalition negotiations between Labour and the Lib Dems, which contradicted some of the things David Laws and Paddy Ashdown had previously published.
Widely tipped to be Labour’s 2016 candidate for London mayor.
30. (+15) Caroline Flint
Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary
Caroline Flint has been Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary for almost two years now, and admits she feels more at ease with Ed Davey at the opposing despatch box than his predecessor Chris Huhne. Unlike some of her colleagues Flint has bags of policies, from abolishing OfGem to reducing energy prices. She has worked hard at her media profile, abandoned her rather robotic pro-Blairite image, and is a leading player in Labour’s revival in opposition. She is one of the few people who realised that if Labour are to get back in they to win back over the south of England. She is the creator of ‘Aldi woman’.
31. (+15) Mary Creagh
Shadow Secretary of State for Defra
One of the nice people in politics, Mary Creagh is the clever French-speaking networker who has scored one of Labour’s biggest hit so far in opposition when she humiliated Caroline Spelman and forced a spectacular U-turn on the selling of national forests. This undoubtedly led to Spelman’s sacking in last year’s reshuffle. She came out of the Islington Council Labour machine which has been producing top flight women Labour MPs for two decades. A solid media performer, she spent much of the summer touring the TV studios opposing the government’s badger cull. Miliband should put her in a higher profile brief like health or education.
32. (-12) Mehdi Hasan
Political Director, Huffington Post
Last year Hasan took the risky decision to leave the New Statesman and join the Huffington Post website after being enticed over by Arianna herself. He was brought on as Political Director to add a bit of punch to the somewhat directionless website, showing a clear indication that the originally “non-partisan” website had changed direction. However, it has done nothing for his profile. His solid media appearances in recent years were rewarded when he was appointed as a News Presenter on Al Jazeera’s English Network, and that seems where his attention lies.
33. (NEW) Tim Livesey
Ed Miliband’s Chief Of Staff
After being rebuffed by James Purnell and others, Ed Miliband found it very difficult to find a Chief of Staff. The post remained vacant for 15 months until last year when Miliband appointed the competent Tim Livesey. Since his appointment Livesey has put a proper organisation in place to ensure structure to the leader’s diary and engagements as well as ensuring that the rebuttal, policy, press and political functions operate more clearly. Credited as a steady pair of hands.
34. (+2) Dave Prentis
General Secretary of Unison
Leader of the largest trade union in the country UNISON, Prentis has been at the job for more than 10 years. First elected in 2001, his influence among his fellow trade unionists and within the Labour Party has grown from strength to strength. Prentis understands the power of his 1.3 million members, but more importantly when to use them carefully, unlike some of his colleagues. Prentis recently spoke out about “the lack of hope” offered by Labour, warning Labour not to form a coalition with the LibDems after the next election. After donating more than £4 million since the last election we’re sure Ed Miliband will be listening.
35. (+18) Keith Vaz
Chairman, Home Affairs Select Committee
The most influential backbencher on law and order, he is an essential feature of smooth legislating in the areas he cares about and remains a key fixer. Despite the change of government he clung onto his place of chair of the home affairs select committee. He continues to fill the airwaves with his commentary, speaking out during many high profile incidents including the Heathrow airport queues and the G4S Olympics fiasco. Commentators have pointed out that he sometimes does more for Labour on home affairs than the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
36. (NEW) Angela Eagle
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Angela Eagle – not to be confused with twin sister Maria – is one of the few openly lesbian MPs in the House of Commons. She first came to frontline politics under Gordon Brown who made her Exchequer Secretary for the Treasury. Slowly working her way up the greasy pole, in opposition she was elected to the Shadow Cabinet and currently hold the position of Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. Despite her quiet demeanour she is regularly wheeled out to attack the government on their record.
37. (+5) Kevin Maguire
Associate Editor (Politics), The Mirror
The Mirror remains the only mass market newspaper that supports Labour, and as the Associate Editor it is Maguire that decides their political line securing his influence. He is regularly on demand for both TV and radio, often adding his Northern charm the paper reviews during the late evening. Maguire is a particular favourite of mainstream trade unionists. He was formerly Chief Reporter on The Guardian and Labour Correspondent on the Daily Telegraph.
38. (+11) Torsten Henrickson-Bell
Head of Ed Miliband’s Office
Sometimes, the truly important political advisers are the ones you haven't heard of. This is certainly the case with Torsten, now Ed Miliband's Head of Office. Ferociously bright, sharp-witted and politically brave, he is crucial to Miliband's operation. Originally a high-flying Treasury civil servant, his work as a Private Secretary to then Chief Secretary Yvette Cooper brought his talents to the attention of Labour's leadership. Last year we heaped praise on Henrickson-Bell for Miliband’s good year saying it was in “no small part due to the organisational and intellectual rigour he brings”. After Miliband’s appalling summer, we’d find it difficult to say the same this year, but the fault doesn’t lie at Henrickson-Bell’s feet.
39. (NEW) Caitlin Moran
Author and Columnist for The Times
A high new entry for the social media superstar who has amassed nearly half a million followers on Twitter. Moran’s book ‘How To Be A Woman’ has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide. She is famed for her satirical style and her tri-weekly column in The Times has a cult following. She is unarguably the most well-known face of modern feminism in the country, organising a 24 hour boycott of Twitter this August for failing to deal adequately with offensive content.
40. (+12) Nick Pearce
Director, IPPR
Since returning to the bosom of the IPPR following a period as head of Gordon Brown’s Number Ten Policy Unit, Pearce has overseen the revival of the IPPR as a think tank of influence in Labour circles. He has made some astute appointments, including that of Will Straw, which have seen the IPPR’s media profile rise considerably. During a time when the Labour Party is discovering new policy, the IPPR has a very important role to play. Pearce is very influential among Ed Miliband’s people, helping the leader to write speeches and produce some new ideas on welfare policy.
41. (+46) Helen Lewis
Deputy Editor of the New Statesman
Witty, geeky and incisive, what’s there not to like about Helen Lewis? She only joined this list last year, and in 2013 she sees a huge jump to rank at 41. Her Twitter profile has grown enormously to almost 40,000 followers, despite leaving the site several times due to threats of violence. Her media profile has also grown as she has become a regular weekly panellist on the BBC’s Sunday Politics. Lewis has had a fast rise through the New Statesman ranks, and it can’t be long before one of the national newspapers snaps her up. She may even join the Commons one day, although her penchant for gaming may lead her in a different direction.
42. (+47) Gavin Kelly
Director, Resolution Foundation
If Ed Miliband didn’t initially seem to have pinned down who the ‘squeezed middle’ are, then perhaps Gavin Kelly can tell him. The Resolution Foundation’s detailed wonkery on exactly what is happening to living standards for families as wages stay flat and bills rise is being closely watched by the Coalition as well as by the opposition. The whole cost of living research left Kelly’s think tank seminar room and has been picked up by the mainstream media. His research into wage stagnation has been used by all three of the main parties, and will be driving the agenda at the Labour Party conference. Kelly managed to maintain his sanity despite working in Gordon Brown’s Downing Street operation, after spells with the Fabians and IPPR.
43. (NEW) Diane Abbott
Labour MP for Hackney
The idea of Diane Abbott influencing anything other than Michael Portillo’s shirt colour would have provoked hollow laughter in Labour Party circles in 2010. But not now. She may not have come close winning the Labour leadership but she has skilfully used her campaign to promote her own agenda and increase her political profile throughout the media. She accepted a front bench position shadowing health and become one of Labour’s best front bench performers. She threatened to resign if Labour were to whip in favour of Syrian intervention, which luckily for her didn’t happen.
44. (+6) Rosie Winterton
Labour Chief Whip
Winterton’s first job in politics was working in John Prescott’s constituency office in Hull after graduating from the local university. She then went on to become the MP for Doncaster in 1997, holding several ministerial jobs under Brown and Blair. Small but perfectly formed, she was a popular choice as the new Labour Chief Whip after Ed Miliband showed some uncharacteristic ruthlessness by sacking her predecessor Nick Brown. If she is to be judged on how many Labour rebellions there have been, she is clearly doing a very good job.
45. (-1) Mark Serwotka
General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union
If you close your eyes and listen to Mark Serwotka’s Welsh tones it is like be transported back to the industrial strife of the 1980s. He is vehemently anti-Tory, and has already joined with other unions this year to strike against cuts to public services. With many civil servants already having lost their jobs, no sector is more frightened of the impact of public expenditure cuts than the public sector. Serwotka was one of the first supporters for the People’s Assembly Against Austerity.
46. (NEW) Lord Sainsbury
Labour Peer
This wealthy businessman has been one of the biggest donors to the Labour Party since the early days of Tony Blair. This year he wrote a book called ‘Progressive Capitalism’ which has been well reviewed by those on the left and the right. A billionaire, he inherited most of his money from the family’s supermarket business. He helps to fund a number of think tanks including Progress, Policy Network and the Institute of Government, to name but a few. This year he upset the Labour leadership when he called Ed Miliband “average” in comparison to Thatcher and Blair.
47. (+4) Maria Eagle
Shadow Transport Secretary
One of the two Eagle sisters, Maria Eagle was elected to the Shadow Cabinet back in October 2010 and was made Shadow Transport Secretary by Ed Miliband. She successfully dropped Labour’s policy on Heathrow expansion, and more controversially called for a state railway company to be able to bid for network franchises. As the government puts more emphasis on infrastructure investment, Eagle will have one of the most important jobs in opposition.
48. (+23) Caroline Lucas
Former Leader of the Green Party
Caroline Lucas may have stood down as leader of the Green Party last year, but she remains their only Member of Parliament and here lies her influence. The Greens made small progress at last year’s local elections in England and Wales, not quite living up to the disaffected LibDem hype they were hoping for. She remains the party’s most familiar face on TV, recently hitting headline after being arrested at an anti-fracking protest. It looks like she has a reasonable chance of being re-elected as an MP now the boundary changes have been all but destroyed.
49. (+13) Owen Smith
Shadow Welsh Secretary
One of the new voices emerging within the Labour Party, Owen Smith is one of the most talented of their media performers. Although he openly jokes he is the “less famous Owen” in Labour circles. Already in the Shadow Cabinet after being an MP for just over two years, he clearly has a great political career ahead of him. Many have touted Chuka Umunna or Stella Creasy as future Labour leaders. Perhaps the Labour party will one day return to a Smith as its Leader.
50. (NEW) Laura Bates
Founder of the Everyday Sexism Project
This time last year no one had ever heard of the Everyday Sexism Project and its founder Laura Bates. Since then it has become a cult blog, collecting over 25,000 entries of people’s daily experiences of gender inequality, and garnering nearly 100,000 followers on Twitter. She led a campaign against Facebook for its tolerance of sexism particularly around the issue of rape; subsequently 15 advertisers pulled their marketing campaigns off the site. In an unprecedented statement Facebook admitted they had failed to prevent hate speech, and have since changed their complaints procedure.
51. (NEW) Sir Richard Leese
Leader, Manchester City Council
Sir Richard has been Leader of Manchester City Council for nearly 20 years, regenerating the city after the awful 1996 IRA bomb. It was said in the 1980s that local government was the bulwark against Thatcherism. In Manchester that is still the case. Leese runs a near one party council with Labour holding 86 of the 96 seats, with not a single Tory councillor in the entire city. He has been praised for his inventive policies and strong leadership. He is the highest ranked local government figure on the list.
52. (+12) Nick Lowles
Chief Executive, Searchlight
Lowles probably knows more than Nick Griffin about far right extremism in Britain. The success of his Hope not Hate anti-BNP campaign makes the former investigative journalist the most effective do-tanker on the left, combining Obama-style online engagement with traditional door-knocking in Barking. As in-fighting tears the BNP apart, Searchlight is increasingly focusing on preventive work in areas targeted by the English Defence League with its ‘Together’ campaign, whose sophisticated 'Fear and Hope' report assessing the drivers of extremism won praise from David Miliband and Jon Cruddas.
53. (+15) Lutfur Rahman
Mayor of Tower Hamlets
A very active community leader, Rahman became the first directly elected mayor of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, having been leader of the council for the previous two years. Despite being expelled by the Labour Party following his selection as mayoral candidate, he won as an independent with 51% of the vote. Viewed as successful Mayor who is making great changes in the area, many in the Labour Party have called for him to be readmitted back into the party. But he regarded with huge suspicion by the leadership, who regard him as an extremist.
54. (NEW) Jonathan Ashworth
MP for Leicester South
Following the departure of Tom Watson from the Labour National Executive Committee earlier this year, Ashworth was appointed in his place as the leader’s representative on the party’s ruling body. A former advisor to Gordon Brown and currently Head of Party Relations for Ed Miliband, he has a vast wealth of experience despite only being an MP since the 2011 Leicester South by-election. If he continues at the speed of his current trajectory it can’t be long till he joins the Shadow Cabinet.
55. (+6) Peter Tatchell
Human Rights Campaigner
After the government announced that they were to have a consultation on equal marriage, Peter Tatchell was quick to rally people in favour. Last year we said the results of his effort were “yet to be seen”, now we know that his hard work paid off with the passing of the Same-Sex Marriage Act in Parliament. When same sex couples get married for the first time next year, they will owe a large thanks to this lifelong activist. Now Tatchell, who has worked for decades at highlighting human rights issues in the UK through direct action, has turned his attention to the plight of homosexuals in Russia.
56. (-2) Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Columnist, The Independent and Evening Standard
Alibhai-Brown has never been one to avoid controversy, calling for a Republic during the Diamond Jubilee. Regarded by some as the best radical voice in word and broadcast, she is guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of anyone vaguely on the right. Alibhai-Brown is a popular guest on most current affairs programmes, although her appearances seem to be a little less frequent nowadays.
57. (+6) Nicola Sturgeon
Scottish Deputy First Minister
Sturgeon has the highest public profile of any SNP politician apart from Alex Salmond. Feisty in debate, she is tenacious in interviews and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. First elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, she remains the only realistic successor to Alex Salmond. Sturgeon will play an important role in the upcoming referendum on Scottish independence. This year she was ranked as the 20th most powerful woman in the UK according to Woman’s Hour. She used the platform to argue that it is women who hold the key to the Scottish Referendum.
58. (+7) Arnie Graf
Community Organiser
The American community organiser guru has been brought into the party to do root and branch reform of campaigns, organisations and structure. He is planning the largest voter registration drive ever seen in the UK and is putting in place a grass roots organisation that will replace the Community Action organisation created by David Miliband. Graf is not popular amongst party apparatchiks but he retains the ear of the leader.
59. (+35) Chris Leslie
Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Back in 1997 Leslie was first elected aged 24 to the constituency Shipley making him the “Baby of the House”, he was later defeated in 2005 by right wing Tory Phillip Davies. Between 2005-2010 he was Director of the Blairite think tank, the New Local Government Network, before being re-elected as MP for Nottingham East. He didn’t garner enough votes to get elected to the shadow cabinet, but was later made Financial Secretary to the Treasury. After Labour’s slide in the polls over the summer recess he revealed he was “anxious”, and promised to offer some “goodies” before the election. He is guaranteed a place in the shadow cabinet in the coming reshuffle.
60. (NEW) Johann Lamont
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
Following the disastrous results for Labour in the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections, it was decided that the Scottish Labour leader was to be elected by all members of the party in Scotland not just Members of the Scottish Parliament. So Lamont was elected as the first overall leader of the Scottish Labour Party. Despite a shaky first year she seems to have found her feet, including a major reshuffle of her frontbench, bringing her predecessor Iain Gray back into frontline politics. She has managed to land a few blows to Alex Salmond, most recently dealing with money lost on the scrapped Glasgow airport rail link.
61. (NEW) Sir Albert Bore
Leader, Birmingham City Council
One of the few local government figures on our list, Sir Albert has served as Leader of Birmingham City Council since 2012 and previously from 1999-2004. He was first elected as a councillor back in 1980 and has gained a reputation as a hard worker and a tough talker. He recently told Birmingham taxpayers that they either pay more in their council tax bills or go without certain services. Prior to local politics he used to lecture at Aston University on nuclear reactor physics.
62. (-6) Jason Cowley
Editor, New Statesman
Cowley has often been credited with having an eye for spotting journalistic talent. He was awarded Editor of The Year in the current affairs category by the British Society of Magazine Editors, and continues to keep the ‘Staggers’ name in the headlines with high profile writers like Jemima Khan and the return of Laurie Penny. Following a redesign of the website, the New Statesman website reached a record high in 2013 with 1.15 million unique visitors in January. It remains the go to left of centre magazine for politicos.
63. (+10) Liam Byrne
Shadow Work & Pensions Secretary
Liam Byrne never had to resign from the Shadow Cabinet to run for Birmingham Mayor, because unluckily for him the people of Birmingham overwhelmingly rejected the idea. Yet Ed Miliband none the less sacked him from the Labour policy review post he held. Now Byrne has his mind back on Westminster politics he may be able to bring some of the independent and original thought he was known for. He is wholly influential on welfare policy, but seems disengaged, instead publishing a book on China. Until he gets his head back in the game he will languish in the lower half of these rankings.
64. (NEW) Dame Tessa Jowell
MP for Dulwich and West Norwood
Jowell performed marvellously as Deputy Mayor of the Olympics at the London 2012 Games. As one of the main people responsible for getting the games in the first place she was on the organising committee. She was made a Dame following the Olympics and is now considered a Labour grandee, offering wise words of advice and support for Labour Leader Ed Miliband. It has been widely speculated that she will stand down at the next election, making her another contender for the London Mayoralty. Miliband would be wise to persuade her to stay and join his front bench team.
65. (NEW) Zoe Williams
Columnist, The Guardian
Zoe Williams is the ultimate feminista, guaranteed to drive anyone vaguely right of Tony Blair wild with her columns. Her late night paper reviews on Sky leave Conservatives shouting at their television. However, she is an incisive interviewer and is adept at latching on to single issue campaigns before they become mainstream.
66. (NEW) Caroline Criado-Perez
Feminist activist
Criado-Perez led the charge for women on the reverse of Bank of England notes after the decision to replace Elizabeth Fry with Winston Churchill on the five pound note. She gained the support of more than 35,000 petitioners and raised money for a legal challenge citing the Equality Act 2010. In the end Bank of England Governor Mark Carney caved in and announced that Jane Austen will appear on new £10 notes from 2017. During the campaign she received a lot of online abuse, particularly on Twitter, which led to death threats and subsequent arrests.
67. (+8) Sunny Hundal
Editor, Liberal Conspiracy
Hundal made his name with the Asians in the Media website and his blog, Pickled Politics. But he has established Liberal Conspiracy as an influential multi-authored website on the left and is a regular pundit on the media. As many predicted the left wing blogosphere has flourished in opposition, and this accounts for Hundal’s rise up the rankings. Typical to his style he pledged his support to the Green candidate Jenny Jones in the London 2012 election, despite months of campaigning for Ken Livingstone. Not a week goes by without hearing him on the radio or seeing him on our screens.
68. (NEW) Matthew McGregor
Digital Strategist
The hiring of McGregor by Labour earlier this year sounded the starting pistol of the digital election of 2015. Famed as Barack Obama’s “digital attack dog” and “backroom Brit” during the 2012 US Presidential Elections, he capitalised on every Republican gaffe and Miliband is hoping he can do the same to the Conservatives. His official role is unclear, but we know he has been advising the Labour Party for some months on their campaign strategy going forward and forms part of the Digital Task Force. The closer we get to 2015 the more he grows in influence.
69. (NEW) Lisa Nandy
Shadow Children’s Minister
Elected in 2010, this young MP is one of only six Asian female MPs in the country. After work on the Education Select Committee and as PPS to the Shadow Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, she was appointed as the Shadow Children’s Minister in 2012. Since the appointment she has performed well in the media and is tipped to go far. When at university she had a “Dear Lisa” column where she appeared naked in bed with a woman and complained about the lack of “fit men”. Ooh er.
70. (+11) Sunder Katwala
Thinker and Pundit, Director of British Future
Former Fabian General Secretary Sunder Katwala has moved away from Labour's internal debates as his new British Future think-tank has put a lot of effort is engaging across the party spectrum on identity and immigration. As these are the issues about which Labour has least to say, Ed Miliband and Jon Cruddas have been keen to plug into these debates.
71. (+11) Will Straw
Associate Director, IPPR
Will Straw is the son of former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, and has been blessed with a large media profile dating back from the days when he ran the blog Left Foot Forward. However since he became a wonk at the left of centre think take IPPR his media profile has taken a hit. Last year we pointed out that he was spending a lot of time in the marginal northern seat of Rossendale and Darwen which neighbours his father’s Blackburn seat. This year he was selected to contest the seat for Labour. Current Tory MP Jake Berry should be worried with this pleasant and talented young man as his opponent.
72. (+27) Bob Crow
General Secretary, RMT
Bob Crow is the trade union leader which everyone loves to hate, for his knack of always knowing when to call for the most inappropriate strikes. Not only has challenged the government over and over again, but he also picks fights with Ed Miliband, becoming the first union leader to openly criticise him. In fact, after Miliband’s reorganising of the ties between Labour and the unions, Crow said he was looking to rally support for a “new party of labour” accusing Miliband of “dancing to the tune of Tony Blair”. Caricatured as a champagne socialist, he has a salary of over £100,000 yet still chooses to live in a council house.
73. (NEW) Baroness Lawrence
Campaigner and Labour Peer
No one can forget the horrifying racist murder of Stephen Lawrence back in 1993 and the twenty year long fight for justice that followed led by his mother Doreen Lawrence. Last year justice was finally served as Gary Dobson and David Norris were both convicted of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. As the most prominent British Jamaican woman in the country she has fought hard against racism and for community relations. Last year she won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pride of Britain Awards, this year she went one better and joined the House of Lords on the Labour benches. A very welcome addition to our list.
74. (NEW) Liz Kendall
Shadow Minister for Care and Older People
Kendall is another of the impressive female intake of the 2010 General Election, having previously failed to win a seat for Labour in 2001. When she worked at the IPPR think tank as an associate for health and social care, she was soon snapped up to work as a Special Adviser for Patricia Hewitt and later Harriet Harman. She has been a Shadow Minister for Care and Older People since 2011, which allows her to attend Shadow Cabinet meetings but not as a full member.
75. (-3) Dan Jarvis MBE
Shadow Minister for Culture
The charismatic and handsome former British Army Officer Dan Jarvis, won the Barnsley Central by-election and was made a Shadow Minister. Despite his culture portfolio, he is most effective when speaking on military issues particularly when attacking cuts to the Armed Forces which has won him plaudits from all parties. It would be surprising if he wasn’t in the Shadow Cabinet by 2015. He has fought a powerful campaign against library closures.
76. (-47) David Miliband
Former Foreign Secretary
David Miliband is very reminiscent of the Frank Sinatra farewell tour. However many times he says goodbye he just keeps coming back. It’s hard to keep a count of the amount of “last” interviews he has given. Earlier this year he resigned from Parliament triggering a by-election in order to become President of the International Rescue Committee based in New York. Despite now living thousands of miles away he still holds influence over certain sections of the party who long for a Blair-like figure of the centre ground. He recently objected to his brother’s stance on Syria, openly calling for intervention during the crisis.
77. (-42) David Blanchflower
Economics Editor, New Statesman
The Economics Editor of the New Statesman is also a professor at Darmouth College New Hampshire and the University of Stirling. He has consistently provided a coherent and authoritative critique of the Coalition’s austerity strategy on the economy. He has warned of the effects of the current crisis on young people, and has longed called for a Keynesian stimulus to get us out of the crisis. Despite giving George Osborne the nickname “slasher”, Blanchflower recently admitted that the Chancellor had “won the battle on austerity” calling for Labour to offer a different vision.
78. (-41) Chris Bryant
Shadow Minister for Borders and Immigration
A bad year for the boy from the Rhondda, Bryant had a car crash interview on the Today programme about the immigration speech that never was. He planned to give a speech calling some companies "unscrupulous employers" for employing those from Eastern Europe over British workers, but before he had even given the speech it was tore apart by the media. However, his performance during the phone hacking scandal was highly rated and he was widely attributed as one of the key players in bringing down the News of the World. Many expect that one day he will be promoted to the Shadow Cabinet. But maybe not this year.
79. (NEW) Simon Danczuk MP
Member of Parliament for Rochdale
Danczuk came to prominence as the Member of Parliament who made a criminal complaint to Essex Police about Chris Huhne’s speeding offence, resulting in the first Cabinet Minister in history to resign following criminal proceedings. He angered many in the Labour Party this year by comparing the militant left within his own party with that of the British National Party, even going head to head with Owen Jones in the media warning against that type of far left socialism and its effect on Labour’s future electoral chances.
80. (-25) Laurie Penny
Columnist, Blogger and Author
Laurie Penny, remember her? This year has been a quiet one for someone who was once without doubt the loudest and most controversial female voice on the radical left, gaining notoriety when she joined student protestors in Millbank Tower, the home of CCHQ, and tweeted live from within the kettle. Although she returned to the News Statesman this year from her short time at The Independent she is not as prolific as she once was. Her knack of winding up people and the fact her star has been eclipsed by the other youthful revolutionary Owen Jones means a big drop down the list. Having said that, Penny still has a cult following and when she writes people read it.
81. (NEW) Mark Ferguson
Editor, Labour List
Mark Ferguson is the editor of the Left’s most influential blog, LabourList. Originally founded by Derek Draper, it had a very rocky start for the first year but has now firmly established itself as the come to blog for any respectable lefty. It is to the left, what ConservativeHome is to the right. Since Ferguson became Editor in 2010 the blog has conducted its own polls, organised offline events, and now has its own daily email bulletin. Prior to LabourList, he was Islington Labour’s borough organiser helping to increase both Emily Thornberry’s and Jeremy Corbyn’s majority.
82. (NEW) Andrew Murray
Chief of Staff, Unite
Murray is one of the most influential people in the entire trade union movement. “McCluskey fronts the show, but Murray runs it” was the way one commentator described the situation at Unite. It is said that Murray is the man who is behind Unite’s efforts to get its candidates selected, to control Labour’s constituency parties, and to even help with the party’s manifesto. Before joining Unite last year he was the Chair of the Stop the War coalition for over a decade, organising the million strong march against the Iraq War in 2003.
83. (-7) Robert Philpot
Director, Progress
Philpot, a genial social democrat, is a bridge-builder among the factions within the Labour Party. The ‘Purple Book’, a Blairite blueprint for future policy, was published in 2011 in a loyalist code despite Progress doubts about Ed Miliband’s strategic direction. A row broke out in the Labour Party last year about Progress’s future when an anonymous report questioned its role as part of the Labour movement. GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny called on Labour Conference to outlaw the organisation from within the party.
84. (NEW) Lord Mandelson
Labour Peer
Affectionately known as Mandy, this year he makes a return to the list bucking the trend of the cull of the Blairites. Lord Mandelson has become someone of whom lefties don’t speak in polite society. Indeed, they regard him as a figure on the right. He has the ability to stir up trouble and invoke reaction from any yacht on the globe. He recently spoke up against HS2 calling it an “expensive mistake” which gained a lot of traction in the press, and made many in the Labour Party question their stance. Mandy is said to be quietly working behind the scenes having secret meeting with members of the Shadow Cabinet. One of our panellists said of him, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist”.
85. (NEW) John Rees
National Officer, Stop The War Coalition
Rees is a writer and activist, last year co-authoring the book The People’s History of London with his partner and fellow campaigner Lindsey German. In 2009 he was controversially not selected by the Socialist Workers Party to re-join their central committee, and the following year he quit the party. He is the organiser of the all the Stop The War marches, including the recent one against Syrian intervention, and is part of the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. He is also a part of the revolutionary socialist organisation Counterfire, writing several publications for them.
86. (-) David Aaronovitch
Columnist, The Times
Acerbic and witty, Aaranovitch has a capacity to irritate and annoy left and right alike with his diatribes. Despite his far left past in student politics, he has moved way to the right and is seen as persona non grate by the left. Difficult to predict, he is a must read columnist for people across the political spectrum. His ability to offend is legendary and he enjoys the cut and thrust of Twitter. His recent column eviscerating Ed Miliband was Aaronovitch at his best.
87. (NEW) Baroness Jones
Green Party Peer and Member of the London Assembly
Jenny Jones has been a member of the London Assembly for the Green Party since 2000, becoming one of the party’s most recognisable faces after Caroline Lucas. A strong media performer, she did well during the Mayoral debates last year and beat the Lib Dems into third place at the ballot box. Very likeable, she was made a member of the House of Lords making her the only Green peer.
88. (NEW) Jim Kennedy
UCATT’s National Political Officer
Jim Kennedy has been leading the charge on behalf of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians against blacklisting in the industry; this is where people are barred from getting jobs because of their trade union activity. He revealed to Parliament that public money had been used by companies during the Olympics to carry out checks on blacklisted workers, leading Chuka Umunna to call for this to be looked at. His lobbying seems to have worked as Wales has become the first UK country to stop the practice.
89. (+1) Peter Kellner
President of YouGov
Kellner is President of YouGov, the only pollster to offer a daily tracking service, and married to Labour peer and the EU’s High Representative Baroness Ashton. Prior to this he was a political analyst on Newsnight, and a journalist for over 30 years with the Sunday Times, Independent and Evening Standard. Kellner continues to write occasionally for The Guardian, and is Chair of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
90. (NEW) Marcus Roberts
Deputy General Secretary, Fabian Society
Despite being appointed Deputy General Secretary of the Fabian Society less than two years ago, Marcus Roberts is said to be taken very seriously by Ed Miliband and the Labour Party’s General Secretary Ian McNichol. Prior to his work at the Fabian Society, Marcus served as Field Director of the Ed Miliband for Leader campaign and was Campaign Manager for Rushanara Ali’s 2010 Bethnal Green & Bow election. He is a Founding Partner of Zentrum Consulting and also worked on the Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama US presidential campaigns.
91. (NEW) Ken Loach
Filmmaker & Founder of the People’s Assembly
The much lauded filmmaker gained a whole new following this year upon the release of his latest film Spirit of ’45, a documentary praising the solidarity of the post-war years under Clement Attlee. To an older generation he is the director of cult hits Kes and Cathy Come Home, but to the younger generation he is the revolutionary fire brand who appeared on Question Time this year calling for a new movement. “What Ukip has done for the Right, we need for the Left”, Loach cried. The horse he seems to be backing is the People’s Assembly Against Austerity, a union backed organisation calling for civil disobedience. Its supporters include Tony Benn and Owen Jones.
92. (NEW) Salma Yaqoob
Former Leader of Respect
The most well-known Muslim woman on the British political scene, Yaqoob became politically active after being spat on following the September 11th attacks. In 2006 she became a councillor for the Respect Party on Birmingham City Council, and came second in Birmingham Hall Green behind Roger Godsiff MP during the 2010 General Election. She gained much attention last year after leaving Respect following George Galloway’s controversial comments on the Julian Assange rape case. Since her resignation from Respect several Labour MP called for them to join their party describing her as an “asset”. She has yet to express any party political allegiances, but remains active on issues like Syria and the veil.
93. (-1) Natalie Bennett
Leader of the Green Party
A few years ago nobody had ever heard Natalie Bennett, but now at least a few people in the Westminster Village have. She was elected last year to replace Caroline Lucas as Leader of the Green Party, yet this former editor of Guardian Weekly has yet to build up the media or public profile her predecessor. The Australian raised leader has her work cut out to prove whether she can win over disaffected Lib Dems, after the Greens made little progress earlier this year. The fact that for the first time ever there are three prominent Greens on the list is a sign that she must be doing something right.
94. (-1) Anas Sarwar
Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour
Sarwar is the young, charismatic MP for Glasgow Central who was elected as the Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour in 2011. He often outshines Johann Lamont, the leader of Scottish Labour, with his usually brilliant media performances. Vice Chair of Progress, he was also named “Best New Scottish Politician” by The Sun in 2009. At only 30, Sarwar is already being tipped for greatness. Earlier this year he was chosen to co-ordinate the Scottish Labour Party’s Referendum Campaign working with Better Together.
95. (NEW) Lord Collins
Former General Secretary of the Labour Party
The former TGWU man was a key element in the formation of the mega-union Unite and a managerial trade unionist. Collins found himself in hot water when General Secretary of the Labour Party when he was forced to admit that he had attended meetings with Damian McBride and Derek Draper, shortly before it was revealed that they had planned an anti-Tory smear campaign, which is why some were surprised when this year he was appointed to head a major review into the Labour Party’s historic links with the Unions and its fundraising. His recommendations will have great influence over the Labour Party for years to come.
96. (NEW) Leanne Wood
Leader of Plaid Cymru
Despite not being a fluent Welsh speaker, Leanne Wood won a surprise victory last year to become leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru. A self-avowed socialist, she became the first Welsh Assembly Member to be ejected from the chamber for referring to the Queen as “Mrs Windsor”. Although some in Plaid Cymru worried that her far left beliefs would scare voters away, this year they secured a by-election victory in Ynys Mon with a 42% majority. She later pledged to take on the Labour Party directly in their heartlands. If there is one person who can break Labour’s stranglehold in the Welsh valleys it is Wood.
97. (-1) George Monbiot
Environmental journalist and campaigner
Hated by many on the right for his extreme stance on environmental issues, he has become a poster boy of the green radical left. However he enraged his fellow environmentalists when he was converted to the benefits of nuclear power. His opposition to capitalism and his insistence that Tony Blair is put on trial for crimes against peace have won him a dedicated following. Never knowingly uncontroversial, his books remain both popular and influential.
98. (-41) George Galloway
Respect MP for Bradford West
When Galloway got an astonishing 36% swing to win the Bradford West by-election he remarked it was "the most sensational victory in British political history", proving to many that his ego had not diminished since losing his Bethnal Green and Bow seat in 2010. It dealt a devastating blow to the Labour Party and made them buck up their electioneering machine. Galloway is still up to his old tricks of making headlines, most recently by his theory that chemical weapons used in Syria were supplied to Al Qaeda via Israel. Earlier this year he caused further controversy by walking out on a Jewish student he was debating at Oxford stating “I don't debate with Israelis”.
99. (NEW) Mary Beard
Academic
This year has been a busy one for Britain’s best loved classicist Professor Mary Beard. Last year she presented the critically acclaimed series Meet The Romans, followed up this year by an equally well received documentary on Caligula. However it is her appearances on Question Time and presence on Twitter that has gained her most attention. After arguing positively in favour of immigration and also stating she was a feminist, she received much online abuse including a bomb threat. In January, Beard was awarded an OBE, and then named the Royal Academy of Arts professor of Ancient Literature, followed by an honorary degree from St Andrews University presented by Hilary Clinton.
100. (NEW) Laurence Durnan
Editor, Political Scrapbook
One of the UK's most well-known political bloggers, Durnan set up the influential Political Scrapbook blog in 2009. Its tabloid style and muckraking scoops have led it to be dubbed the “left wing Guido”. It recently ranked in the top 10 UK political blogs by Wikio, firmly establishing itself as the British Left’s leading gossip blog. Durnan has also written for the New Statesman and Total Politics. Prior to Scrapbook he worked for a London public affairs agency and on numerous political campaigns for the Labour Party.
