Sir Keir Starmer elected as the new Labour leader

Keir Starmer (57) wins a decisive victory over two rivals  Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey and vowed to lead party “into new era with confidence and hope”.

The lawyer, who became an MP in 2015, won on the first round of voting with more than 50 per cent of ballots cast

After his victory Sir Keir spoke to PM Boris Johnson and agreed to meet next week to discuss coronavirus crisis.

In a video message by the Labour Party, Sir Keir promised to work constructively in opposition and said he hoped labour “when the time comes can serve our country again – in government”.

He apologised for the “stain” of anti-Semitism that has tainted Labour in recent years and pledged to “tear out this poison by its roots” and said his success would be judged on whether former Jewish members return to Labour.

Sir Keir Starmer                       -275, 780 votes   (56.2%)

Rebecca Long-Bailey              -135, 218 votes   (27.6 %)

Lisa Nandy                                – 79, 597   votes   (16.2%)

Out of  874, 151 eligible to take paet in the three moth contest triggered by Mr Corbyn’s decision to step down after Labour’s he3avy defeat in last year’s general election, only 490, 000 people voted.

Sir Keir won a majority in every section of Labour’s selectorate, including 78 per cent of the 13, 000 registered supporters who paid a one-off £25 fee to take part.

Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner (40)  has been elected deputy leader, replacing Tom Watson, who stood down as an MP before the election, by defeating four other candidates but the contest was much closer going to a third round of voting. She beat Rosena Allin-Khan and Richard Burgon in a third round of voting, after fellow MPs Ian Murray and Dawn Butler had earlier been eliminated.

Sir Keir, the MP from Holborn and St Pancras, in London, although a socialist but not a Corbynite, vowed to keep key policies from the Corbyn era, such as nationalising rail, mail and water and repealing anti-union laws in a 10-point plan.

He led the Crown Prosecution Service before entering frontline politics and served in Mr Corbyn’s top team for over three years where he was responsible for the party’s Brexit policy.

Sir Keir has accepted an invitation to take part in cross-party talks with the prime minister and the government’s top scientific advisers next week to “work together “ on the crisis, having already spoken to England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Simon Stevens, the CEO of NHS England.

Sir Keir further said “We will shine a torch on critical issues and where we see mistakes or faltering government or things not happening as quickly as they should we’ll challenge that and call that out. Our purpose when we do that is the same as the government’s , to save lives and to protect our country”.