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Who will replace Ed, Nick and Nigel?
Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage have all said that they will resign the leaderships of their respective parties. Matthew Partridge looks at who could succeed them.
Nigel Farage may decided that he is the only one who can keep Ukip together
David Cameron and Nicola Sturgeon may be smiling after the election results, but Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage have all said that they will resign the leaderships of their respective parties. Who could succeed them?
What's happened?
However, it was a very different story for the other three parties: Labour, Liberal Democrats and Ukip. Labour's near wipe out in Scotland resulted in a net loss of seats in the UK. The Liberal Democrats saw their share of the vote fall by nearly two-thirds, and lost all but eight seats.
And while Ukip polled a record number of votes, it failed to retain one of the seats that it won at last year's by-election, andNigel Farage failed to win inSouth Thanet.
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Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Yvette Cooper, the wife of former Chancellor Ed Balls (who lost his seat) is another possibility, though she is seen as lacking charisma. Dan Jarvis, who came into the Commons in 2011, is seen as a long-shot, with his ex-military background possibly attracting voters.
Had he not stood down as an MP in 2013, David Miliband would have been the obvious choice. Butthe problems of having a non-MP as leader, and his brother's electoral failure, probably doom his chances.
Other potential candidates include: Liz Kendall, Rachael Reeves and Stella Creasey.
So, who will succeed Farage as the head of Ukip?
Douglas Carswell
Steven Woolfe
Deputy chair Suzanne Evans has been named interim leader, and a good performance in the next few months could ensure she takes the top job permanently. Butshe may alienate the party's supporters in the north.
In the end, Nigel Farage may decided that he is the only one who can keep Ukip together, and contest the leadership himself. However, health problems, and the emotional wear of a bruising campaign, may lead him to retire for good.
And what about the Lib Dems?
Tim Farron has the advantage that his refusal to take a ministerial role in the recent coalition could help his party move on from its partnership with the Conservatives. In contrast, Norman Lamb is backed by senior figures, including Menzies Campbell, (who was briefly leader) and is seen as the continuity candidate (though whether this is a positive or negative remains to be seen)
Finally, who will succeed David Cameron?
At the moment, the betting market favourites are London Mayor (an newly elected MP for Uxbridge) Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Theresa May, Chancellor George Osborne and Culture Secretary Sajid Javid. At the moment, May and Javid look the best value.
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