UK Labour Party to announce new leader today

Ousted at the hustings by a tired UK public battling recession and an unending military engagement in foreign lands, the Labour Party is now all set to declare results of a leadership campaign that seeks to replace ex-PM Gordon Brown as its leader. The new leader will then go on to become the new face of the party and be expected to provide leadership in troubled times.

Five candidates are in the fray for the leadership position and results will be announced today around 4.45pm, bringing to a close what observers say has been a gruelling four-month contest.

On current form, Ed Miliband is expected to nose ahead of elder brother David, mainly on second preference votes. David has remained the top favourite throughout the campaign but has found himself unable to deliver the knockout blow to close contenders –principally younger brother Ed.

Both brothers served in the outgoing Labour dispensation, with David holding a key cabinet appointment as foreign secretary and younger sibling Ed as secretary of state for energy and climate.

Other contenders also in the fray, but badly trailing the Miliband brothers in popular perception, are Diane Abbott, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham.

A survey of Labour members and trade unionists by research and consulting organisation, YouGov, suggested Ed Miliband had a small lead over his older sibling mainly on account of the fact that most of the second preference votes of other candidates is likely to have been cast in his name.