Runners and riders in race for Labour leadership

The departure of Ed Miliband as Labour leader has opened up a race to find his successor from the demoralised ranks of the party's MPs.

The contest could take months and will conclude with a final vote of party members, perhaps at the annual conference in autumn.

It is likely to prompt serious debate about whether Labour should turn to relative newcomers from the 2010 intake, or pick another veteran former minister from the New Labour years.

The idea of Ed's brother David Miliband returning to rescue the party remains a fantasy of a handful of Blairites. Two potential candidates, Jim Murphy and Douglas Alexander, lost their seats on Thursday night.

Here are some of the favourite contenders with odds from William Hill.

Andy Burnham, shadow health secretary. Age: 45 (MP for Leigh). Odds: 5/2

Mr Burnham served at cabinet level under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, latterly as health secretary. Since entering opposition he has worked hard to win supporters within the trade unions. Having encouraged the use of private companies when in government, he now makes a point of noting the NHS should put "people before profit".

Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary. Age: 46 (MP for Pontefract and Castleford). Odds: 3:1

Ms Cooper has long been the bookies' favourite to replace Mr Miliband, having been shadow home secretary for most of the last government. She is married to Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor who lost his seat on Thursday.

Chuka Umunna, shadow business secretary. Age: 36 (MP for Streatham). Odds 5:1

The former City lawyer started out as a member of the leftwing Compass group but has gradually moved to a more Blairite position since entering Parliament in 2010. Mr Umunna has built up a huge base in London, where Labour has more members than any other region.

Dan Jarvis, shadow minister for justice. Age: 42 (MP for Barnsley Central). Odds 7:1

Mr Jarvis is the dark horse in the race, having entered politics only in 2010. He can offer experience of the world outside Westminster, having served as a former officer in the Parachute Regiment who was deployed to Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tristram Hunt, shadow education secretary. Age: 40 (MP for Stoke-on-Trent). Odds 10:1

Mr Hunt is another high-flyer who entered Parliament in 2010 and quickly rose to the shadow cabinet. The photogenic and witty MP cut his teeth in the political world as a junior aide in the 1997 election campaign. Subsequently he made a name for himself as a historian and broadcast journalist before turning to politics full-time.

Liz Kendall, shadow social care minister. Age: 43 (MP for Leicester West). Odds 18:1

Ms Kendall is a respected member of the Blairite wing of the Labour party and an ally of both Mr Umunna and Mr Hunt.

Elected in 2010, she was previously an adviser at the Department of Health when Tony Blair was prime minister. She recently struck a different tone from Mr Burnham, saying: "There will remain a role for the private and voluntary sectors where they can add extra capacity to the NHS . . . I believe what matters is what works."

Rachel Reeves, shadow work and pensions secretary. Age: 36. (MP for Leeds West). Odds 18:1

Ms Reeves, a former Bank of England economist, has a strong base in the party and is a formidable campaigner. She entered Parliament only in 2010 and could join forces with Mr Umunna on a joint ticket for the leadership.

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