David Miliband most popular to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, poll finds

David who?

The halcyon days of government seem far away from the Labour party - when Gordon Brown was prime minister and David Miliband his foreign secretary. Halcyon. But a new poll shows that he is the most popular choice to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, if a member of the public knows who they would like to be the next leader. 36 per cent of respondents said they did not know who they would pick, but of those who did, 10 per cent opted for Miliband. The preference for senior Labour figures was as follows:

1. David Miliband - 10 per cent
2. Yvette Cooper - 6 per cent
3. Sir Keir Starmer - 4 per cent
4. Chuka Umunna - 4 per cent
5. John McDonnell - 3 per cent

Devastating reading for Labour front benchers like Emily Thornberry and Diane Abbott who don't even feature, while Blairite back bencher Cooper luxuriates in recognition. The key result though, from the 1,500-person survey by BMG Research, is that lack of recognition. 32 per cent of respondents said they had never heard of any of the Labour figures mentioned above. However, 74 per cent said they knew David Miliband while half recognised Yvette Cooper. 45 per cent knew John McDonnell. David Miliband lost the Labour leadership contest in 2010 to his own brother Ed. He since resigned as an MP and began working as the head of a nongovernmental organisation in New York, but rumours persist of his return to British politics.