Last call for Labour leader support

My friends at Operation Black Vote and previously the Labour party black sections have worked their butts off to help increase the number of African Caribbean and Asian members of parliament. As a result the figure has risen from 15 at the last election to 27 in May. After Diane Abbott announced that – in the interest of racial and gender diversity – she would stand in the all-male, pale and stale leadership contest, I expected most of our MPs to back her ( Editorial , 8 June). That was what black Congress people in the US did when Barack Obama threw his hat into the ring. But no. Diane has been able to muster just three nominations from her sisters and brothers; those of black sections stalwart Keith Vaz, David Lammy, a neighbouring MP, and just one of the newcomers, Chinyelu Onwurah. Diane's four other nominations come from white MPs. Acting leader Harriet Harman said she would stay neutral in the vote, but bravely urged her comrades in parliament to follow her example and nominate Diane to ensure there is at least one woman candidate. Hot favourites, the Miliband brothers have already passed the 33 nominations threshold. Of the black MPs, David Miliband has garnered the support of former minister Virendra Sharma, and newbies Anas Sarwar, Valerie Vaz and Yasmin Qureshi. And his mildly more leftwing brother Ed has won over Chuka Umunna, Lisa Nandy and Sadiq Khan. Ed Balls is backed by Marsha Singh and Khalid Mahmood. Three black MPs remain undecided: Mark Hendrick, Rushanara Ali and Shabana Mahmood. I hope, if only in the name of sisterly solidarity, that Rushanara and Shabana side with Diane, as nominations end today. The black MPs have got to learn how to play big people's politics. You get no respect from white folk by being disunited. If the black MPs had all nominated Diane, no matter what their misgivings about her, they would have presented themselves as a powerful bloc to be reckoned with. As Lammy pointed out, who they voted for thereafter would have been less important than the symbolic and historic act of supporting a black sister for Labour's top job. Marc Wadsworth Chair, Labour black sections, 1986-88 • As student and youth activists, we are supporting John McDonnell's campaign for leader. New Labour alienated large numbers of young people through its ending of free higher education; its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; its brutal attitude to asylum and civil liberties; and its shallow lip service to environmentalism. We know that genuine left politics must be based on the labour movement. We want a leader who supports student struggles against cuts and fees; who fights for decent jobs for all on a real living wage; and who stands up for civil liberties and migrants' rights. That is why we urge Labour MPs to nominate him. Chris Marks, Hull University nion VP Education Nadine Houghton, Unite London and Eastern Region Young Members' Forum Chair Elly Badcock, SOAS Students' Union Women's Officer Michael Chessum, UCL Union VP Education-elect Ashok Kumar, LSE Students' Union Education Officer-elect Jo Pinto, National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts Tali Janner-Klausner, London School Students' Union Wanda Canton, Queen Mary Students' Union Women's Officer-elect Daniel Randall, National Union of Students Trustee Board Jade Baker, Westminster University Students' Union VP Education-elect Alice Marshall, Hull University Union VP Welfare James Wong-McSweeney, RMT London Transport Region Young Members Officer Ruth Cashman, Lambeth Unison Assistant Secretary Matthew Meehan, PCS Yorkshire and Humberside Young Members Officer Rosie Huzzard, PCS South Yorkshire Young Members Convenor Rebecca Allan, PCS West Yorkshire Young Members Convenor Kirsty Firth, PCS Calderdale and Kirkless DWP Young Members Officer Laura McNamara, PCS South Humber DWP Young Members Officer Pat Rolfe, victimised Sussex University protester Tami Peterson, Birkbeck College Students' Union and NUS LGBT Committee Hannah Thompson, Oxford Queer Left