What happens if there’s a contest and who can vote?
Should a leadership contest take place, all candidates will be put on a ballot for a first round of voting.
Labour Party members who have continuously been members for at least six months before the timetable is established are eligible to vote. Those from affiliate trade unions will also be eligible to cast a vote.
Voters will rank candidates based on their preference. Should one candidate win over 50% of the first preference votes, then they will win the contest.
If not, the candidate with the lowest votes are eliminated, and the preferences of their voters are then transferred to other candidates. This process continues until one candidate reaches the 50% threshold.
What happens if there’s only one candidate?
This may well be the scenario in this particular leadership transition, as Burnham currently has a clear path to Downing Street.
If only one candidate meets the threshold for backing, then there is no vote. The candidate will instead be elected unopposed, becoming the leader of the Labour Party and the U.K.’s new Prime Minister.
