Mr Corbyn, whose momentum showed no sign of slowing at a packed campaign event in Norwich, said he wants to lead a “more inclusive and united party” after the bitter leadership race has finished on September 12.
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He was criticised by his rivals Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, and Liz Kendall, who accused him of “clinging to the past”.
But he said time was running out for her to “set this campaign alight” and beat current frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn.
MP Barry Sheerman has called for the Labour party’s leadership contest to be halted for an investigation into the “malign” motives of some of those signing up to vote.
And Alastair Campbell, Mr Blair’s former spokesman, is urging support for “anyone but Corbyn“, saying the London MP could never win a general election.
Whatever your views, there can be no doubt that Jeremy Corbyn has reinvigorated the Labour leadership contest, and perhaps UK politics as a whole.
In an interview with the Independent on Sunday, Corbyn tapped into a burgeoning public desire to renationalise the railways and widespread concerns over the Conservative party’s dismantling of the NHS when he said Labour should again make a clear commitment to public ownership of industry.
Earlier leadership rival Andy Burnham warned that of some the new recruits to Labour attracted by Mr Corbyn’s radical rhetoric “don’t have the party’s best interests at heart”. “We also want to encourage municipal and co-operative developments of energy, essentially the more locally you generate electricity the more efficient it is”, he said.
‘The fact of the matter is that this process is in real trouble.’ The latest poll, commissioned by The Times newspaper, predicted Mr Corbyn has 53 per cent of first-preference votes.
Councillor Lesley Williams has given her backing to Andy Burnham as the next leader of the Labour Party, as voting for the leadership contest opens on Friday.
Among full members, who pay a monthly fee, Jeremy Corbyn’s support is slightly weaker, (49% of first preferences compared to 67% for trade union affiliates and 55% of £3 sign-ups).
“Could some people who now say they support Corbyn draw back at the moment of decision — or, alternatively, does his bandwagon have further to roll?”
Tonight, Rochdale’s Labour MP Simon Danczuk said: “Having seen the list in relation to Rochdale and hearing the horror stories from around the country in terms of entryism within the Labour party, I do think we’re moving to a position where the election probably isn’t tenable”. “We have always been successful in keeping those out because we are democratic socialists, we are not revolutionary socialists”.
“I don’t see the urgency”, he said.
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The rule change introduced by Mr Miliband has led to fears of entryism by hard-left groups or Tories seeking to influence the outcome of the contest, but the party has insisted it has robust procedures in place to identify them and stop their votes being cast.
