Amid reports that Mr Corbyn would face an immediate plot by MPs to oust him if he won, Lord Prescott warned that whoever became leader was entitled to the full support of the party. Therefore, Cooper would be knocked out and YouGov say Corbyn would be on 53 per cent in the third and final round and Burnham on 47.
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Ms Kendall has rejected calls to quit to ensure so-called moderates Mr Burnham or Ms Cooper beat Mr Corbyn. There’s a raw humanity to him, that not only is evident in person, but also in the debates and hustings as well, and because people can so easily trust in his personality, it makes it that much easier for them to trust in his policies.
It is Andy Burnham that talks about the Westminster bubble, but it is Jeremy Corbyn who is really outside of it.
“The other thing is I don’t think you should walk away from the Labour Party”.
Mr Burnham said the former leader had “a huge amount to contribute”, but refused to discuss shadow cabinet appointments, confirming that he had been joking in an earlier interview when he suggested Mr Corbyn might get a job.
Professor John Gaffney, Professor of Politics at Aston University and Co-Director of the Aston Centre for Europe, says: “Of course Corbyn is the most popular candidate for leader”.
Front-runner Mr Burnham was seen by only 27 per cent of voters in a new opinion poll as having “what it takes to be a good prime minister” while the same number did not think he had the right qualities.
Ms Kendall commented that Labour held Gower for “106 years” until May’s election and underscored her commitment to seeing the party perform well in next year’s Assembly vote. “To use that kind of language is just abuse”, said the former deputy prime minister.
Corbyn hit back, however, saying that Blair should be more concerned with his involvement in the Iraq war, and the Chilcot report.
Aside from Corbyn’s uncompromising socialist stances on internal British issues, his support of pro-Palestinian causes is the subject of some controversy, most recently after the resurfacing of a 2009 video showing him speaking of his “pleasure and honor” at hosting members of Hezbollah in parliament and his regret that “friends from Hamas” were prevented by Israel from arriving.
While Blair didn’t back any of the other three candidates, he stressed that Labour must present a strategy for government and not just be a “platform for protest” against austerity if it wants to regain power.
She said: “As leader, the elections in May next year are going to be an absolute priority and I think the results at the general election showed you can never, ever, ever take any part of the country for granted”.
“They see a lot of what the Tories are doing and they know the need for Labour to be a credible alternative”.
Lord Mandelson told The Times: “Those of us who stayed and fought to save the Labour party in the 1980s will be experiencing a growing sense of deja vu”.
Blair’s speech has made the front pages and directed the spotlight firmly on the Labour leadership contest, but to what extent will his words ring true with the Labour members?
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After a bruising day of recriminations the architect of its most successful electoral era said Ed Miliband’s tenure had left Labour with a “terrible legacy”.
