Ray Collins to step down as General Secretary

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Ray Collins, Labour’s General Secretary, will be stepping down in order to take up a place in the House of Lords. However, Collins won’t be leaving immediately, he’ll continue to work for the party until his successor is appointed. A Labour spokesperson said this evening:

“Over the coming year or so, Ray Collins and Ed Miliband will continue to work closely together to reform the party in a positive and modern way before Ray stands down from his role. His successor will then be in place in plenty of time to prepare the party for the next General Election.”

Fifteen new Labour peers are expected to be appointed tomorrow. We’ll bring you the names as soon as we have them.