Smith will need the support of 51 MPs or MEPs to be eligible to stand in the contest.
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Bernadette Gallagher, secretary of Bolton Unison said she was very pleased that this week’s meeting of Labour’s National Executive Committee voted for the current leader to be on the election ballot.
A second British Labour opposition lawmaker entered the contest to topple leader Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday, boosting the veteran left-winger’s chances of being re-elected by splitting the support of those who oppose him.
Promising to campaign “on all the things that matter”, he asked MPs who disagree to “come and talk about it”.
He said in Labour they described themselves as “comrades” and insisted “most of it comes from people who have no association with the Labour Party”.
But Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party president Edwin Jeffries said his members would be backing the leader. The incident follows complaints by Labour MPs, particularly women, of threats and abuse from Mr Corbyn’s supporters if they spoke out against him.
The leadership race was triggered by a challenge to leader Jeremy Corbyn from former Shadow Business Secretary Angela Eagle, which came after mass resignations from Corbyn’s top team and a no confidence vote in his leadership.
Ms Eagle however indicated that she may be willing to run in a three-way battle against both Mr Smith and Mr Corbyn, telling a central London event: “I will leave Owen to do this own thing, I’ll do my own thing”.
Registered supporter status, which gives people a one-off vote if they pay a fee, will cost £25 this time round instead of the £3 payment that saw thousands of Mr Corbyn’s supporters sign up in the run-up to last September’s vote.
However, there was also a setback for Mr Corbyn as the NEC changed some rules for the contest, so people can only vote if they have been a member for at least six months.
“I’m in this contest to win it and that’s what I intend to do”.
At a rally in support of Mr Corbyn on Tuesday night, shadow chancellor John McDonnell called the rebels “f****** useless”.
“I would hope there isn’t going to be a legal challenge”.
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However, advice backed by the Unite union – the party’s biggest financial backer – concluded he should automatically be included on the ballot as a sitting leader.
