Labour has plenty of candidates to take over from Corbyn, says elections chief

Labour has a host of alternative candidates from which to choose if Jeremy Corbyn decides to step down before the next election, a key ally of the leader has said.

Ian Lavery, promoted last week to co-elections chief, dismissed as “political poppycock” the claims the party had polled public support for two potential new leaders, Angela Rayner and Rebecca Long-Bailey. Aides said the survey was simply routine polling of shadow cabinet members as is often carried out by whoever is in Opposition.

The Sunday Times report followed speculation Corbyn had told his inner circle a date by which he would give up the top job.

Yesterday Lavery denied there would be a leadership contest imminently but said there was strength at the top of the Labour party.

Speaking on Pienaar’s Politics, he said: “I think they [Rayner and Long-Bailey] are fantastic candidates. We have got lots of quality in the Labour Party and it’s not just the two who have been mentioned.”

“There’s plenty of leaders to pick from, if and when Jeremy decides, of his own volition, that it’s not for him at the election.”

“That isn’t the case at this point in time,” he added.

Lavery has just been promoted to campaigns co-coordinator, alongside Andrew Gwynne, in the recent reshuffle.

Tom Watson, meanwhile, appeared on Marr, where he said that Corbyn “has got the leadership settled for this parliament”.

Watson also said that now “is not the time” for Labour to go through another leadership contest, adding that the timing of Clive Lewis’ resignation was not “particularly helpful”.

“It is his [Corbyn’s] duty to lead the official Opposition through a period of unprecedented economic uncertainty and he will be tested. He has to explain those and he has to improve on them and he’s well aware of that.”

“We’ve had a tough 18 months. We had a damaging second leadership election, so we’ve got an uphill struggle ahead.”

“The polls aren’t great for us, but I’m determined that we’ve got the leadership settled for this Parliament, that we can focus on developing a very positive, clear message to the British people in a general election.”