Corbyn and Smith are now the only candidates left, and bookmakers have decided that between the two Corbyn is the strong favourite to win.
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By the deadline of 5pm today, Mr Smith had secured the nominations of 162 Labour MPs – more than 70% of the party’s representation in the House of Commons – as well as 10 MEPs.
Moderates fear the surge will back Mr Corbyn in the same way as 88,000 supporters paid £3 each to vote in last year’s election.
Shami Chakrabarti, who led an inquiry into anti-Semitism within Labour, has refused to say whether she has been offered a peerage by the party.
Responding to attacks from Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters who branded him “Blair-lite”, the former shadow work and pensions secretary said he was committed to a free health service.
If Smith goes on to defeat Corbyn in the September election, Eagle would be appointed to a key shadow cabinet post.
He also claimed he was “just as radical as Jeremy Corbyn” and would unite the party following an acrimonious row between MPs and the leadership.
The poll indicated that Mr Corbyn’s margin of victory may be slightly narrower if just Mr Smith stood against him – 56% for Mr Corbyn and 34% for Mr Smith – but the result would still be a convincing victory for the incumbent. But at the same time he will not have the support of his members of parliament….
Lawyers for the Labour leader successfully argued he had a right to be heard in the case because his interests were not the same as those of Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, who had previously been the only named defendant in the case brought by a Labour donor. She is a pioneer for women in the Labour Party and a great leader of Labour.
Both candidates are “focussing on nominations which was always part of the process”, the source said.
“I believe Owen can build a Labour Party and a country of which we can be proud”.
“He has crossed a couple of red lines for me and I would find it very hard to fall in line with a further Jeremy Corbyn Labour Party”.
Meanwhile, the Saving Labour campaign urged those opposed to Mr Corbyn’s leadership to sign up as registered supporters, saying: “Britain and Labour needs new, strong leadership for the months ahead”.
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Putting the Labour hopeful on the spot, show host Sarah Montague referenced a Pfizer report where Mr Smith said “we believe that choice is a good thing”, adding that patients and healthcare professionals “should be at the heart of developing the agenda”.
