Former shadow minister Wayne David told the newspaper that it seems the momentum is now with Smith.
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Mr Smith repeatedly praised Mr Corbyn’s influence on the party but spoke of the need to create a “radical but credible” movement with policies to match the anti-austerity rhetoric.
One of her supporters, Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock, told Sky News there were “many lumps in throats” as she shared her personal story, and said she was clearly a “seasoned campaigner”.
He has re-positioned Labour as an anti-austerity party, and I welcome this.
He also wants to rewrite Clause Four – Labour’s defining mission statement – to include a duty to tackle inequality.
During a hustings before Labour MPs this afternoon Mr Smith said that he would be happy to serve under Ms Eagle. “I think perhaps in the past we’ve been a bit too timid around some of the ideas we’ve got in this country”.
But Mr Smith, a former journalist and Pfizer lobbyist, claims to have the support of up to 100 MPs already, with nominations closing on Wednesday afternoon.
“That is why I’m am proposing a British new deal”.
She put forward a “Marshall plan” to improve poor communities and cautioned against Mr Smith’s pledge to hold a second European Union referendum once a deal has been negotiated.
Jeremy Corbyn should face a woman in the leadership contest, his campaign chief has said during a visit to the region.
“Whenever I’ve been asked to stand up and step up to the plate I have”.
He added: “We need to go further than that [the 50p higher rate]”. And it is for the Labour Party, our party, to fight to reduce that gap.
Nearly a year on, this support may have changed with more than 200 Scottish Labour politicians and members signing an open l etter calling for his resignation as United Kingdom party leader in June. It can not happen. It will not happen. I’ve got a wife and three children.
Working people in this country can not afford it to split.
It appeared unlikely that Mr Corbyn would have achieved this, but the Labour National Executive Committee voted to include him regardless, by virtue of him being the incumbent.
Noting that members who joined after January 12 have been barred from voting unless they pay a £25 charge, he said: “There may be a legal move but nothing has been decided yet”.
Speaking to the BBC Sunday, Smith said that “one of us standing would be better” and that “whoever the person is who commands the largest degree of support” among parliamentary members “is the unity candidate, and that’s the person who should go forward and take Jeremy on”.
Mr Smith, 47, is quickly gaining support from Labour MPs to emerge as Mr Corbyn’s main challenger in this summer’s leadership contest.
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Corbyn’s victory a year ago was attributed to a surge of new party members who signed up for £3 ($4, 3.60 euros) to vote in the leadership race.
