What You Need To Know About Chuka Umunna

Chuka Umunna has enjoyed a swift rise up the political ladder and has been spoken about as leadership material for some time.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna is favourite to become leader of the Labour party. Here's what you need to know.

:: Name: Chuka Harrison Umunna

:: Age: 36

:: Real world experience: Was a City employment lawyer.

:: Political chops: Stellar rise. Was elected MP for Streatham in 2010, Ed Miliband had made him shadow business secretary by 2011.

Centre-left, centre-right? Centre-left. He backed Ed Miliband in 2010 over more right-leaning brother David.

:: Family history: Son of a Nigerian immigrant who arrived at Liverpool docks penniless in the 1960s, built up an import-export business, married solicitor daughter of High Court judge, who was a prosecutor in Nuremburg trials. The family settled in Streatham.

Father returned to Nigeria to pursue political career on an anti-corruption ticket but died in road accident in 1992.

:: Education: Private. Went to St Dunstan's College. Studied law at Manchester.

:: Significant other: Pictured at the weekend hand-in-hand with 30-year-old employment lawyer Alice Sullivan but has said relationship in the early days.

Comparisons: He has been compared to Barack Obama - but it turned out that was by his own aides “altering” his Wikipedia page. It’s a sore subject.

In honesty, his rapid rise from newly elected MP to potential leader is not actually dissimilar and he has the same legal background but such comparison could be considered a little gauche.

:: MO: Labour needs to make an "aspirational offer" to "middle income voters and must properly convey its pro-business approach".

Pros: Smart, deft at handling TV interviews - although he did walk out on Sky's Dermot Murnaghan - with a broad appeal, gets business and is confident.

Cons: Metropolitan - unlikely to appeal to influential trade unions, can be seen by colleagues as a bit too confident, linked to Ed Miliband campaign.

Influential Backers: Lord Mandelson came close at the weekend, saying: "He’s got a bit of a way to go but he will get there".

Has been seen hanging out with the Hollywood star Will Smith in Brixton.

Culled by Skynews