LABOUR LEADERSHIP CANDIDATES TO BE GRILLED

Contenders need 5% of local party support or 3 affiliates by 14 February.

Labour members will get their first chance to grill the five MPS standing to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as party leader at an event in Liverpool on Friday.

Indian-origin MP Lisa Nandy, Birmingham MP Jess Phillips; Shadow First Secretary of State Emily Thornberry; Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Keir Starmer; and Shadow Business Secretary MP Rebecca Long-bailey will all make their pitch to the party faithful, the BBC reported.

The hustings is the first in a series of events across the country before the new Labour leader is elected on 4 April. Those running to be deputy leader will also face party members.

Candidates Rosena Allinkhan, Dawn Butler, Richard

Burgon, Ian Murray and Angela Rayner will answer questions in a separate hustings later on Saturday.

In order to make the final ballot, each of the Labour leadership hopefuls must secure the backing of unions and local parties. The five contenders need the support of 5% of local parties or at least three affiliates by 14 February to make the final ballot.

Members of the public who join the party or become affiliated supporters before 20 January will be eligible to vote in the contest.

A Yougov poll of 1,005 Labour members for the Times on Friday suggested Thornberry would go out in the first round of voting with just 3%, with Nandy knocked out in the second round and Phillips in the third, with most of her second preference votes going to Starmer. The poll indicated that Starmer would beat Long-bailey in the final round by 63% to 37%, once the other candidates have been eliminated.

It suggested that Rayner was on course to win the deputy leadership election in the first round with 57%.

Corbyn signalled his intention to stand down after Labour lost its fourth general election in a row and his second as leader following the 12 December, 2019 polls.