Early frontrunner Chuka Umunna MP *suddenly* pulls out of Labour leadership race

[-:Undertaker:-]

He's probably sold the story to a Sunday paper, wouldn't be surprised if we find out tomorrow what really happened! Most of what I've read though is about the media pressures, which is a fairly big thing. He wasn't hugely reported on before but now as he's announced his candidacy there's press 24/7 around him, hounding him, his family, his girlfriend and his girlfriend's family and that would only get worse as the campaign continues and, if he were to win, as leader of the opposition.

It's no surprise to me that that pressure gets to people and when they get a taste they realise that it's not something they can cope with. I've seen a hell of a lot of negative comments from really nasty people (hadn't heard the gay rumour until I clicked on this thread?) about his race and the fact he has a white girlfriend - that's not really something anyone in their right mind would be HAPPY about... right...

You really believe all that?

Do you really think that a top ranking politician would suddenly realise that the job of Labour leader comes with huge media pressure? It is part of the job and he role. Nor do I buy that he read some nasty comments: these are politicians remember, they spend half of their time instructing spin doctors to come up with nasty comments and stories about their opponents and party rivals in briefings. You're very naive if you think politicians, especially front benchers, are kind hearted folk who aren't ruthless in the slightest. To be in that position you have to be ruthless.

Again, some members of the media/rival Labour camps (above) have hinted what it is about. The press already know.

[lawrawrrr]

You really believe all that?

Do you really think that a top ranking politician would suddenly realise that the job of Labour leader comes with huge media pressure? It is part of the job and he role. Nor do I buy that he read some nasty comments: these are politicians remember, they spend half of their time instructing spin doctors to come up with nasty comments and stories about their opponents and party rivals in briefings. You're very naive if you think politicians, especially front benchers, are kind hearted folk who aren't ruthless in the slightest. To be in that position you have to be ruthless.

Again, some members of the media/rival Labour camps (above) have hinted what it is about. The press already know.

Yes I do. There's a hell of a lot more scrutiny and pressure at the leader level rather than a senior member of the party. I think he likes the role itself but underestimated what the media is even like - it's one thing to see them attacking a previous leader or anything and another to directly experience it.

I never said that he isn't ruthless or anything (which I'm not sure I believe as strongly as you appear to), I just said that he's probably faced a hell of a lot more negativity than he's been used to as a senior politician within the Labour party (I mean I'm fairly politically educated and I'd never really heard of him much before his candidacy was announced) and I think it's plausible that the taste he's got over the last few days made him realise that he's actually not suited to the role, and therefore stepping down before it even begins is a perfectly legitimate and respectable thing to do.

[-:Undertaker:-]

@lawrawrrr; so why are his party rivals (Owen Jones) and all the media hinting at something else then?

Even I clicked before the rumours when people in the media were pointing out how he'd suddenly brought his beard girlfriend on a walkabout infront of the media. Looked.... strange and stage-managed. That also doesn't sound like a man who is shy of media attention on his private life either.

But time will tell. I tend to trust journalists though (who know a lot more than is printed) than what Chuka's PR machine says.

[Inseriousity.]

Because journalists and political commentators, it's their job to speculate and gossip. The what ifs. Most of them do their job well but there can also be this nasty pettiness to it all.

[lemons]

i saw chuka before the election out and about with my labour candidate

chuka is also the only one i had heard of out of the people standing to be new labour leader so far

[lawrawrrr]

@lawrawrrr; so why are his party rivals (Owen Jones) and all the media hinting at something else then?

Even I clicked before the rumours when people in the media were pointing out how he'd suddenly brought his beard girlfriend on a walkabout infront of the media. Looked.... strange and stage-managed. That also doesn't sound like a man who is shy of media attention on his private life either.

But time will tell. I tend to trust journalists though (who know a lot more than is printed) than what Chuka's PR machine says.

Yes, and for that exact reason I'm not paying much attention to anything that's been printed so far, as it's pretty much all speculation. What I posted is based on what he (and his "close sources") have actually said.

Quitting just a few days after announcing his bid to replace Ed Miliband, Umunna said he did not find the extra pressure "a comfortable experience" and added: "I continued to have very real concerns and worry about this bid's impact on those close to me."

A source close to Umunna claimed his mother had been followed home by a reporter and that he had not enjoyed having press outside his home every morning. He also denied speculation that a newspaper had a negative story about him that was about to be run over the weekend

The media want it to be something bigger cos that's a better story, something that'll sell more papers and get more hits because it's so much more ~+*SCANDALOUS*+~. Doesn't mean anything bigger is going to come from it, they've all probably just heard rumours and are scrabbling to get some proof (we had a similar thing happen in the constituency my newspaper is based in).

Yes, it's very odd timing considering that blog about his girlfriend came just days before, but it doesn't mean everyone needs to start attacking him for something else that hasn't even been confirmed in any way, shape, or form. Politicians are ALWAYS pictured with their significant others so I don't think that's a huge deal at all, I rarely saw a picture of Cameron without SamCam or Miliband without Justine the whole election period (debates excluded). Someone posts an article like that about you and your girlfriend, you're going to reconsider if you want to continue that scrutiny for the weeks, months, and potentially years to come.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Because journalists and political commentators, it's their job to speculate and gossip. The what ifs. Most of them do their job well but there can also be this nasty pettiness to it all.

If there was no truth to those rumours then journalists wouldn't risk libel over it.

There is a nastiness in politics, and you can see it via the Owen Jones tweet where he's letting it obviously slip as to why Chuka Umunna has dropped out as a way of attacking the guy. All I can say is, if Guido and Co and heavily hinting at something then on past form it's usually very very true.

Look at Michael Portillo.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, and for that exact reason I'm not paying much attention to anything that's been printed so far, as it's pretty much all speculation. What I posted is based on what he (and his "close sources") have actually said.

It isn't speculation if media sources are directly contradicting (whilst printing them) his claims of family being persecuted by the press. They're saying that isn't true, and then heavily hinting at something else. It's not rocket science to see what they all know unless you believe there's a strange conspiracy between the far-left of the Labour Party in Owen Jones and centre-right press to halt Chuka via Twitter and not the papers by hinting that he's gay.

The media want it to be something bigger cos that's a better story, something that'll sell more papers and get more hits because it's so much more ~+*SCANDALOUS*+~. Doesn't mean anything bigger is going to come from it, they've all probably just heard rumours and are scrabbling to get some proof (we had a similar thing happen in the constituency my newspaper is based in).

Yes, it's very odd timing considering that blog about his girlfriend came just days before, but it doesn't mean everyone needs to start attacking him for something else that hasn't even been confirmed in any way, shape, or form. Politicians are ALWAYS pictured with their significant others so I don't think that's a huge deal at all, I rarely saw a picture of Cameron without SamCam or Miliband without Justine the whole election period (debates excluded). Someone posts an article like that about you and your girlfriend, you're going to reconsider if you want to continue that scrutiny for the weeks, months, and potentially years to come.

But that is the point.

The media are not - yet - printing these rumours. They're just implying them on Twitter and blogs that the official story that Chuka has put out to the press isn't true and that there's something more deep to the story. So the usual "media want to sell papers" is nonsense with this story.

My guess is that they've given him time to either tell family or come out himself.

[Inseriousity.]

I don't know about Guido and Portillo but even if it were true, that'd just be proving his point.