YVETTE COOPER, SHADOW HOME SECRETARY:

The next Labour party leader is widely tipped to be a woman, and that pioneer would be Cooper. The shadow home secretary has gone from being 'the wife of Ed Balls' to the MP thought most likely to succeed Ed Miliband. However the former journalist is not on the list for her career success but her choice of campaign issue. No other politician has done as much to highlight the impact of the budget cuts on women as Cooper, from the number losing public sector jobs to those hurt by the closure of Sure Start centres. We may not agree with all her proposals but she wins credit for putting the concerns and welfare of women at the centre of her agenda. As she has said: 'I don't feel it's a sign of weakness to be concerned about issues that affect women's lives, issues that sometimes don't get taken seriously because they largely affect women'. More on Yvette Cooper