Why Alan Johnson is backing a woman as the next Labour leader

TL;DR version: Because it would be perverse not to.

Former home secretary Alan Johnson has revealed he is likely to vote for either Liz Kendall or Yvette Cooper to replace Ed Miliband as Labour leader - to avoid the "perverse" scenario of having men in both of the party's senior roles.

Andy Burnham, the former health secretary, is the favourite to win the leadership contest, and Tom Watson is even more highly-tipped to win the vote to become deputy leader.

Johnson, who lost the deputy leadership vote in 2006 to Harriet Harman, told the Daily Telegraph:

It would be perverse if we don't have a gender balance.

[The] Labour Party was the first party ever to campaign for votes for women, pushed all-women shortlists to try and change the balance of Parliament. There were 25 women out of 650 before 1997, it was extraordinary. For the party that's done all that to have two men in the leadership… it would be very symbolic in the wrong kind of way. I will make my vote when I cast it a gender balance vote.

He added: "With Nicola Sturgeon? Margaret Thatcher has been leader of the Conservative Party, Theresa May will no doubt be a candidate [for the Tory Leadership]. There we are looking as if we haven't been that radical party for women's rights and for equality."

HT Telegraph

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