Harriet Harman MP, Acting Leader of the Labour Party, responding to Jim Murphy announcing his intention to resign as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, said:

“Jim has given so much to the Labour Party over the last twenty years. He, I know reluctantly, took the responsibility for leading Scottish Labour at the most difficult election they have ever faced. He did so with incredible energy, purpose and dignity.

“As a cabinet minister and leader of his party in Scotland, Jim has been a hugely important figure in the Labour Party. He leaves with the best wishes and thanks of our movement.

“It will now be for the Scottish Labour Party to choose its next leader.”

Ends

Harriet Harman MP, Acting Leader of the Labour Party, said:

“Labour is today announcing the timetable for electing our next Leader and Deputy Leader.

“The General Election saw the Labour Party suffer a serious defeat, and over the coming weeks we need an open and honest debate on the right way forward.

“Our challenge now is to use this time to listen and learn, to elect a new Leader and Deputy Leader who will rebuild the Labour Party in order to take the fight to this Tory Government and to stand up for Britain.

“This contest will be run under the new rules we agreed last year: a broad and open contest with one person, one vote. We want as many people as possible to take part. More than 30,000 new members have joined the party in the last few days and I hope many more members and supporters will take this opportunity to have their voice heard.

“In the meantime, Labour will be taking forward our task as the official Opposition of holding the Government to account.”

The full leadership election timetable, as agreed today by the NEC, is as follows:

Friday 15 May                              Election Period Opens

Monday 8 June                            PLP Nomination Hustings for Leader

Tuesday 9 June                           PLP Nomination Hustings for Deputy Leader

Tuesday 9 June                           PLP Nominations Open

12 noon Monday 15 June            PLP Nominations (Leader) Close

12 noon Wednesday 17 June       PLP Nominations (Deputy Leader) Close

Wednesday 17 June                    Hustings period opens

12 noon Friday 31 July                Supporting Nominations Close

12 noon Wednesday 12 August    Last date to join as member, affiliated supporter, or registered supporter

Friday 14 August                         Ballot mailing despatched

12 noon Thursday 10 September Ballot closes

Saturday 12 September               Special conference to announce result

Ends

Harriet Harman MP, Acting Leader of the Labour Party, said:

“I would like to pay tribute to Ed Miliband for his leadership of the Labour Party and to express the gratitude that party members feel for his leadership and for his decency, his commitment and his constant striving for a fairer country.

“On the resignation of Ed Miliband as Leader of the Labour Party I, as his deputy, am stepping forward to be acting leader until a new leader is elected by the party.

“It is not my intention to stay on as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party when the new Leader is elected. Therefore, I am announcing that I am stepping down as deputy leader - with my resignation taking effect when the new Leader and Deputy Leader are elected.

“With a new leadership team in place, after what has undoubtedly been a serious defeat, the Labour Party will be best placed to be the strong opposition this country needs - defending our NHS and our public services, and fighting for fairness, equality and social justice.

“That determination will be all the fiercer in the face of this Tory government.”

Ends

Lots of support for Labour at busy Queens Road station in Peckham! Thanks to Rumbi, Sham, Mariam, Rachel and Warda for joining me despite the wind and rain!

Lots of support for Labour in Nunhead this morning. Thanks to Councillor Barrie Hargrove and Shireen Ijoyah for joining me.

So many people attend the hustings in Peckham this evening that we had to have an additional event outside for the hundreds of people who couldn't get in to the packed local venue!  

There was so much support for Labour at St James the Great primary school in Peckham today. Local Councillor Johnson Situ joined me to talk to parents and carers.

Charles Horton

Managing Director, Southern Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd

Hertford House

1 Cranwood Street

London EC1V 9QS

30^th April 2015

Dear Charles,

Overcrowding at Denmark Hill station and train capacity during rush hour

Many of my constituents are very concerned about overcrowding at Denmark Hill station.

One constituent who commutes from Denmark Hill to central London tells me that the 08.04am - from Sevenoaks in Kent to London St Pancras – is regularly overcrowded by the time it reaches Denmark Hill meaning people are not able to get on the train. She also says that the trains are usually only 4 carriages long.

My constituents pay for and rightly expect a decent service from Govia Thameslink. It’s totally unacceptable for people to be left on crowded platforms waiting for the next train simply because their scheduled service does not have enough capacity.

People should not have to worry about being late for work or have the stress of travelling in a crowded carriage. There is also the potential danger of having lots of people jostling on crowded platforms. It’s hard enough for people travelling to work but impossible for people travelling with young children or if you’re elderly or disabled.

I’d be grateful if you would send me a full report outlining the immediate steps you are taking to reduce overcrowding and improve capacity at Denmark Hill station.

I look forward to your reply at the earliest convenience.

Best wishes,

Harriet Harman

Meeting parents and carers at Ilderton primary school this afternoon with local Councillor Richard Livingstone. Thanks to Head Teacher, Dean Brewer, for showing me around the school - which is open from 7.30am to 7pm with breakfast and after school clubs!

In my role as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, I appeared on the BBC London Robert Elms Show to discuss arts and culture in the capital, and how London’s vibrant cultural scene shapes the city we live in.  The discussion covered topics such as arts funding, participation in the arts by people from BME and disadvantaged backgrounds, and the film tax credit.

You can listen to the show here. 

Val Shawcross, London Assembly Member for Southwark, local Councillor Chris Gonde and Rosemary Minto joined me at the school gate this afternoon to talk to parents and carers. 

On Monday 27^th April at Theatre Royal Brighton I, along with Chris Bryant, Shadow Culture Minister, launched Labour’s Charter for Culture and the Creative Industries.  The Charter sets out Labour’s plans for culture and the creative industries, and has been supported by a number of high profile figures from the arts and culture world, including Sir Patrick Stewart, Julie Walters CBE, Sir Anish Kapoor CBE and Grayson Perry CBE. 

 You can read Labour’s Charter for Culture and the Creative industries here.

Lots of important issues raised tonight at the NUT Southwark hustings in Camberwell - supply teachers terms and conditions, free schools and academies, protecting the education budget, the NUT's Education manifesto, and the importance of voting. Thanks to all the teachers who joined us after a long busy day in the classroom, and to NUT Secretary Betty Joseph for organising it.

Lots of questions and support for Labour at the school gate this afternoon at Lyndhurst Primary school in Camberwell. Thanks to local Councillor Radha Burgess and Jane Bevis for joining me.

Lots of people to talk to this morning at the very busy Peckham Rye station. Thanks to local Councillors Johnson Situ, Nick Dolezal and Jasmine Ali, and Jo, Mark, Declan and Richard for joining me.

May 7th is a big day for people locally, for the UK and for our democracy. It’s Election Day when everyone has the right to vote.

I hope everyone will vote. People who are older are more likely to vote. But it's important for young people to vote too - and get their voice heard. People who own their own home nearly always vote. But we need to see the votes of tenants too. For our democracy to be equal we need to see the votes of everyone, younger as well as older, poorer as well as richer and black as well as white. Everyone has an equal right to vote and every vote counts the same.

Some people don't vote because they think their vote won't make any difference. But that just means that they won't have their say and everyone who does vote will.  Some people don't vote because they say all the parties are the same. But there is a huge contrast between the Tories - always helping the better off - and Labour who is on the side of working people. With the Tories we always see the NHS suffer and people on lower incomes getting worse off.  And we face the extra threat this time of UKIP who sow the seeds of division turning people against each other. We cannot solve the problems of this country by the politics of blame.

Some people don't vote because they've never voted and they don't think they know how. It's really easy and straightforward to vote. If you've got a polling card from the council you take it to where it says the polling station is - usually the local primary school or community centre. You don't need your polling card to vote. Just tell them your name and address. There are council staff there to help you if you've got any questions about the process.

I hope that you'll vote for me to be your Member of Parliament. It’s a huge honour and privilege to be your MP. And I think that our area could be so much better with a Labour government. There's a huge amount of optimism in our neighbourhoods but so many people still struggle.

If I get re-elected the people in Camberwell and Peckham will be my first priority. And one of the most important responsibilities of an MP is to help people who have problems but can't solve them and get caught up in red tape.

I hope when you're voting you will think about the people who don't have it easy and who need the backing of government to get a good home, a decent job, and health care. And I hope you will think about people in the rest of the world too. We need to tackle problems which affect us but hit hardest at poorer countries like global climate change. Have your say and vote on May 7th!

Great to talk to so many parents' and carer's at St Peter's primary school in Walworth this afternoon along with local Councillors Lorraine Lauder and Paul Fleming. Many people told me they have already voted but they took Labour posters and leaflets!

Lots of people to talk to in Rye Lane this morning rushing to catch the bus on their way to work and school. Thanks to Jane and Johnson for joining me.

Lots of support for Labour at the bus stops in Camberwell Green this morning. Thanks to Mark, Tom, Gary, Jane and Johnson for helping to organize.