Overview
- Hollie Ridley told party staff on Friday that she will stand down after Labour’s annual conference in September and said the decision was for personal reasons and to allow the NEC to appoint a new general secretary.
- Sir Keir Starmer praised Ridley as a formidable campaigner who built the 2024 field operation, and party chairwoman Anna Turley paid tribute to her record of supporting working‑class women into leadership roles.
- The Labour National Executive Committee will run the selection process with the new general secretary to be confirmed by a ratifying vote at conference, a choice that could shape the party’s senior team under the expected incoming leader.
- Names being floated as possible successors include Joe Fortune, Christina McAnea, John Lehal and Claire Reynolds while other figures such as Anthony Lavelle and Lisa Johnson are also discussed as wild cards.
- Ridley’s exit raises questions about campaign continuity after criticism inside the party over the handling of recent by‑elections in Gorton and Denton and about how staffing and field operations will be managed during the leadership transition.