The 63-year-old attended today's meeting of the party's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), which is due to decide on the rules and format of the battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn.

The party's business spokesman lavished praise on the outgoing leader during her campaign launch despite him overseeing Labour's worst British election defeat since 1935.

The Parliamentary Labour Party has long been at odds with Mr Corbyn over his policies and attitude to Brexit and her speech on the party's future went down badly according to MPs in the room.

Laura Smith and Karen Lee both spoke of their need to find a new source of income after they lost their Crew & Nantwich and Lincoln seats to the Tories on December 12.

The left-winger, who is trailing sixth and last in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn, made the suggestion in a campaign speech in London.

PETER HITCHENS: Where political parties combine patriotism, a strong but just welfare state, good education, firm policing and tough defence, they tend to win elections.

Labour's Jess Phillips was forced to suspend her key aide Salma Hamid (pictured) on Friday for posting 'offensive' tweets including a description of Israel as a 'murderer', between 2014 and 2016.

Labour's membership has reportedly grown by 60,000 people since the party's devastating general election defeat.

Rebecca Long-Bailey has hinted that she took cannabis during a trip to Amsterdam as she prepares to formally launch her Labour leadership bid this evening.

Labour's membership has grown by more than 100,000 since the party's devastating general election loss.

The grassroots group has taken aim at moderate MPs under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, leading to allegations it was acting in his best interests rather than the party's.

A YouGov poll found 71 per cent of them have a favourable view of Mr Corbyn. Second on 70 per cent was Ed Miliband, another election loser, while John Smith came third on 67 per cent.

Allies of Rebecca Long-Bailey have demanded Sir Keir Starmer pull out of the Labour leadership race to make way for a woman to take over from Jeremy Corbyn.

The Wigan MP used a media interview this morning to claim the 'consensus that Thatcher built lasted all the way through the New Labour years' under Mr Blair and then Gordon Brown.

Footage shows shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon arguing with shadow Equalities Minister Dawn Butler as they addressed potential voters in Leeds.

The Unite the union boss said critics of the shadow business secretary 'would be better to clear out now' amid reports some are planning to quit Labour if she wins the contest.

Rebecca Long-Bailey told an event she had been left in a 'state of shock' by the scale of their defeat on December 12, when Labour handed Boris Johnson an 80-seat Tory majority.

The National Hemp Service was going to sell products such as clothes, made from a legal strain of cannabis, from a cafe in North London. But it never opened and was soon liquidated.

The outgoing Labour leader, whose public appearances have been limited since he lost the election in December, was in the chamber for an update on the impact of Storm Ciara.

Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Lisa Nandy and Emily Thornberry were on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme this morning and were taken to task by 'Jay', a former Labour voter.

More than half of Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) which backed Mr Corbyn in the leadership contest in 2015 have endorsed soft-left candidate Sir Keir Starmer this year.

Labour leadership challenger Lisa Nandy has said she would vote to abolish the monarchy at a referendum while rival Rebecca Long-Bailey refused to name a former party leader she admired.

The outgoing leader, who led Labour to its worst election defeat since the 1930s in December, spoke as he toured areas affected by flooding in Wales this afternoon.

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Labour activists the party risks being out of power for a generation unless it unites and fights the Tories.

Sir Keir Starmer today hinted he could campaign to bring back EU freedom of movement at the next general election as voting began in the Labour leadership contest.

Sir Keir is predicted to get 53 per cent of votes in the first round of counting which would be enough for him to surpass the 50 per cent threshold needed to win the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn.

Jeremy Corbyn has made a plea to 'anointed' successor Rebecca Long Bailey to make him Shadow Foreign Secretary after he quits as Labour Party leader.

Labour's 500,000-plus members want to ditch the Monarchy and deny their party has a problem with anti-Semitism, a shocking poll by YouGov has revealed.

GUY ADAMS: Trevor Phillips has fought racism all his life, while the party under Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of anti-Semitism and is being investigated by the EHRC.

The 72-year-old branded Gates and Soros 'control freaks' as he blamed them for Covid-19, which has so far killed 36 people in the UK, with the total number of cases now at 1,543.

Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer is expected to romp to victory when the result of the contest is announced on Saturday.

The man expected to become Labour leader on Saturday also revealed his local pub is his 'church' and that he may have been the model for Colin Firth's dapper character in Bridget Jones Diary.

Sir Keir Starmer has made leadership rival Lisa Nandy his shadow foreign secretary as the new Labour leader announced a series of senior appointments to his top team.

Politicians taking part in Prime Minister's Questions from the safety and comfort of their own homes were upstaged by their grandchildren and their interior design sense - or lack of it.

HARRY COLE Ever one to defy common sense, Jeremy Corbyn, 71 next month, not only shunned all lockdown etiquette to turn up in Westminster but brought with him his third wife.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton made the bombshell claims in part one of new Sky News documentary Bad Blood/New Blood which premiered on Monday night.

In part one of Sky News documentary Bad Blood/New Blood Turnbull ally Craig Laundy claimed Finance Minister Matthias Cormann's signing of the petition sealed the former PM's fate.

Mr Turnbull, who was dropped from the top job in August last year, said members of the Australian Liberal Party's right-wing faction 'essentially operate as terrorists'.

The Sydney backbench MP and former tennis star charged taxpayers $91 so he could stay at his luxury retreat at Kangaroo Valley on the NSW South Coast. That was before $266 in car travel costs.

Mr Trump was asked why he preferred Mr Morrison over Mr Turnball, but the President insisted he likes both the former and current Prime Minister 'very much'.

Malcolm Turnbull has blasted former political ally Mathias Cormann as 'weak and treacherous' for his key role in the leadership spill which ousted him as Prime Minister.

Malcolm Turnbull hosted Bill Shorten for dinner following his federal election loss last year - only to serve him a $17 bottle of wine with his meal. 

Mr Turnbull claims in his new memoir that his successor Mr Morrison 'was playing a double game' to force him out of office.

Jones claimed the former Liberal Party leader was jealous of Mr Abbott - who the radio host said had the 'integrity and experience' to lead the WHO - because of the latter's superior electoral success.

The former prime minister described the comments as 'odious', but used the opportunity to heap praise on Peta Credlin rather than criticise Mr Turnbull.

Martin Parkinson, who last year retired as head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, has described China's economic threat against Australia as a 'wake-up call' and a 'favour'.

Tulsi Gabbard insists she can't control what others say as she continues to receive backing from Russian media outlets.

Hillary Clinton trolled Donald Trump's letter to Turkey's president Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday by sharing a spoof letter from JFK to the leader of the Soviet Union to end the Cuban missile crisis.

Donald Trumpdefended Tulsi Gabbard from Hillary Clinton's allegation she is being groomed by Russia, saying he doesn't know the Hawaii Democrat but 'she's not a Russian agent' and the charge is 'sick.'

Democrats worried about whether their front runners could beat Trump are musing about others who could run including Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Michael Bloomberg, Eric Holder and John Kerry.