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Labour Leadership election 2026: Key players

A DeHavilland guide

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Who really shapes the outcome of a Labour leadership contest?

This guide goes beyond personalities to examine the networks, factions, and institutions that hold influence inside the Labour Party. From the NEC and PLP factions to trade unions, CLPs, and affiliate organisations, it maps the competing forces that could determine Labour’s next direction.

The analysis also explores how falling membership, internal divisions, and upcoming elections are reshaping the balance of power inside the party.

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Harry Bhattacharyya – Policy Assistant

Harry joined DeHavilland in December 2024. He is part of the company’s Corporate Services Team and leads the Business, Trade and Circular Economy portfolio.

Prior to joining DeHavilland, Harry was a Parliamentary Researcher for Sarah Champion MP where he led on a Private Members’ Bill and supported Sarah in her work as Chair of the International Development Committee.

Harry holds an MA in Politics and Contemporary History from King’s College London and a BA in Politics from the University of Sheffield. 

Georgie Cottell – Senior Policy Analyst

Georgie joined DeHavilland in June 2024. She is part of the company’s Corporate Services Team and leads the tech and telecoms portfolio.

Prior to joining DeHavilland, Georgie was a Policy & Public Affairs Associate at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CSTI) where she led on policy development in various areas including regulation of online marketplaces and vaping, alongside managing media and parliamentary engagement.

She studied at Cardiff University where she read Politics and International Relations. 

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Amber Shaikh – Policy Analyst

Amber joined DeHavilland in May 2024. She is a Policy Analyst leading on the healthcare portfolio. She has a strong interest in health policy, with a particular focus on primary and secondary care.

Before joining DeHavilland, she worked at a pharmacy management consultancy firm in Manchester, gaining experience in healthcare systems and service delivery. She holds an MA in Social Policy and a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Birmingham.

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Harry Kesterton – Junior Policy Analyst

Harry joined DeHavilland in December 2024, having previously worked as a Parliamentary Researcher for a member of the House of Lords who sat on the Food, Diet and Obesity Select Committee. He holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of York.

Harry is part of the Public Services Team, where he covers a portfolio spanning pharmaceuticals, welfare, and health. He has a particular interest in the social determinants of health and the role of both the public and private sectors in addressing health inequalities.

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Jemba Valerio – Junior Policy Analyst

Jemba joined DeHavilland in December 2024 having previously read History and Politics at Downing College, Cambridge.

She currently looks after the culture, media and sport portfolio, within the wider corporate services team. Within the CMS sector, she particularly enjoys following the ongoing debate around the usage of creative materials to train AI and the implications for copyright and owner renumeration.

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Joseph Gellman – Senior Policy Analyst

Joseph joined DeHavilland in April 2024. He is part of the company’s Public Services Team and leads the Life Sciences and Pharma portfolio. He follows all policy relating to health and social care, and has a specific interest in health tech.

Before joining DeHavilland, Joseph studied at Durham University, where he graduated with a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and an MA in Philosophy. 

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Jessica Hazel – Senior Energy Policy Analyst

Jess joined DeHavilland at the beginning of the year as our Senior Energy Policy Analyst. Previously, she worked as a Hydrogen Policy Official for the Scottish Government, working across different areas of policy within the team. Jess completed her MSc in Environment and Development at the University of Edinburgh with Distinction and undertook an Undergraduate degree in History at the University of York.

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Verity Freeman – Policy Analyst

Verity joined DeHavilland in September 2022 and is a Policy Analyst within the Corporate Services Team. She currently leads the culture, media, and sport portfolio, also supporting clients across the digital and tech sector.  She has a keen interest in digital inclusion, tackling disinformation and access to the creative and cultural industries. She holds a BA in Philosophy and Politics and an MA in Political Communication from the University of Leeds, during which she worked as a caseworker to an MP.  Prior to DeHavilland, she also worked as an intern at a public affairs agency and was an accredited election observer.

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Tom Lytle – Policy Analyst

Tom joined DeHavilland in November 2023 after completing an MSc at King’s College London in the Political Economy of Emerging Markets and studying International Relations at the University of Exeter. He looks after the environment portfolio, focusing on issues such as the UK’s water sector, farming and animal welfare. 

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Grace Stockland – Political Data Coorindator

Grace joined DeHavilland in September 2022, having previously studied Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London. During this time, she developed a keen interest in data and statistical analysis.

Since joining DeHavilland, she has worked on improving data processes and expanding political sourcing and looks forward to continuing to enhance the data side of the service and portal.

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Barney Jones – Policy Executive

Barney joined DeHavilland in May 2023, after working in parliament, supporting parliamentary research.

He is responsible for the Business sector, Industrial Sector, Defence and International Development clients. Barney studied Political Economy at the University of Birmingham.

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Larnie Hur – Deputy Content Editor

Larnie has worked across journalism, copywriting and content since graduating from City, University London with a degree in Journalism and Mandarin.

She joined DeHavilland in October 2022 to help the DeHavilland and Forefront Adviser teams craft high-quality content to deliver exceptional value to our clients.

Larnie enjoys writing about food and is keenly interested in women’s health issues.

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Emmen Ackrim – Policy Executive

Emmen joined DeHavilland in September 2023 after working at Portland Communications and the Labour Party. She previously she read European Politics at The London School of Economics and sits within the Financial Services team.

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Reece Davies – Policy Executive

Reece joined DeHavilland in February 2023 after working in Government and public affairs. He studied Political and International Relations at the University of Manchester, before going on to complete a Masters in European Politics. He runs the education, welfare and third sector portfolio, and has a particular interest in higher education policy. 

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Martha Loach – Policy Executive

Working within the Public Services Team, Martha leads on the public health and social care portfolio. Prior to joining DeHavilland in July 2023, she was a Programme Manager at a social mobility organisation before venturing into public policy research and events management at GovNet. She read History and Politics at the University of Edinburgh, with a year abroad in Washington DC. Martha enjoys scrutinising the socioeconomic contours of public health challenges and inequalities.

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James Wilson – Policy Coordinator

James joined DeHavilland in March 2023 after having read Global Political Economy and International Relations at Leiden University.

He operates within the Corporate Services Team working across the financial services and FMCG and manufacturing portfolios. He particularly enjoys covering the international development sector and watching government policy on political economy and security.

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Georgia Richardson – Policy Coordinator

Georgia recently moved from the commercial real estate sector to work on the public services team at DeHavilland, specialising in health and welfare policy. She studied Politics and History at the University of Manchester and particularly enjoys following welfare and housing policy.

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Eliza Kehoe – Policy Executive

Eliza joined DeHavilland in June 2023 having previously worked at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in Ireland. Before this, she studied Business, Economics and Social Sciences at Trinity College Dublin. 

Eliza looks after the health portfolio within the wider public services team. She is particularly interested in health inequalities and women’s health.

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Lauren Atkins – Policy Consultant

Lauren has worked in political monitoring since she graduated from the University of Bath with a First Class degree in Politics and International Relations. She joined DeHavilland in February 2022 initially covering the Education and Welfare portfolio, before her interest in the Online Safety Bill led her to take on the Tech, Digital and Telecoms portfolio in early 2023.

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Molly Stocker – Data Team Leader

Molly is currently the Data Team Leader at Dehavilland. She joined Dehavilland in March 2021 after studying politics at the University of Southampton and working as a data administrator at a trade association. Her interest in data has helped to expand sourcing and she is looking forward to the upcoming constituency boundary changes and how this will effect the next General Election.

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Sophia Corfield – Senior Policy Consultant

Sophia joined DeHavilland in June 2022. She heads up DeHavilland’s Public Services Team and leads on the pharmaceutical portfolio. Sophia enjoys following developments in the life sciences sector as its importance continues to grow in political discourse.

Before joining Dehavilland, Sophia graduated from the University of Reading with a first class degree in History and International Relations. After graduating she spent a year working as an Agent and Fundraiser for the Conservative Party.

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Josh Dell – Group Editor and Events Lead

Josh helps both DeHavilland and Forefront Advisers’s writers deliver stellar content, while also leading DeHavilland and Forefront’s events programme. When not working in and around politics, he writes about food and wine.

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Miles Braslavsky – Lead Policy Analyst

Miles joined DeHavilland four years ago having received a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Birmingham. He manages DeHavilland’s Corporate Service Team and leads on the financial services portfolio.

He enjoys watching post-Brexit regulatory divergence play out over time having tracked closely the passage of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023.

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Arran Russell – Head of Content and Service

Arran has been at DeHavilland since January 2010. As Head of Content and Service he oversees what our clients receive in our monitoring service as well as the content and data on our website. He focuses his time on how we can improve how we support public affairs teams and is always working towards DeHavilland being the best in the business.

Before working at DeHavilland he worked for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, focusing on social mobility. He has a Masters degree in International Political Economy from the University of Manchester and a Bachelors in Contemporary History and Politics from the University of Salford. He has also run two of his own businesses, one coaching football to primary school kids and another investing in property.

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Hattie Ireland

Hattie has been at DeHavilland for five years working across the policy and content teams and now leads our UK monitoring business. She has worked across a number of sectors during her time, most recently covering the transport portfolio. She now focuses just on our aviation clients and since the acquisition of NewsDirect leads our Westminster, Scotland and Wales monitoring teams.

Before joining DeHavilland, she graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a first class degree in History and Politics where she also spent a year abroad in Washington D.C.

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Michael Cameron – Lead Policy Analyst

Michael manages the infrastructure team and leads on the housing, construction and local government portfolio. Having closely followed ongoing regulatory and legislative reform on leasehold, the private rented sector, and the planning system, Michael enjoys the breadth of the housing sector’s policy issues.

He joined DeHavilland in August 2022 having previously read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford.

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