Labour leadership hopefuls Emily Thornberry just made it on to the ballot paper in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn in the last minutes on Monday afternoon as the deadline for nominations closed.
Contenders for the Labour leadership and Deputy Leader had until 2.30pm on Monday to secure the 22 nominations from Labour MPs and MEPs they need to go forward to the next stage of the contest.
Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Lisa Nandy and Jess Phillips were the first leadership contenders to secure the numbers they required to go through.
As of 2.30 Monday afternoon, Ms Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary just got her last nomination with 12 minutes to go, while Mr Lewis resigned 45 minutes before the deadline closed, so those that nominated him could nominate someone else as he had just five.
In the deputy leadership nominations, socialist left-wing choice Richard Burgon just pulled through with 22 nominations in the last minutes, and it was good news for candidate diversity with Rosena Allin Khan and Dawn Butler achieving enough on Monday too.
Leadership contender Clive Lewis pulled out of Labour’s leadership race – just 45 minutes ahead of the deadline – to allow his supporters to recast their MP and MEP nominations.
The decision came after the MP for Norwich South secured only five nominations, including his own, falling fall short of the 22 nominations required to enter the next stage of the contest.
Labour MPs Rachael Maskell, Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Nadia Whittome, as well as MEP Julie Ward, were able to support a different leadership candidate.
Clive Lewis said: “For me, this election wasn’t about just the leadership of the Labour Party but about our survival as an engaging and relevant political movement that could win a path to power.
“At this stage, it’s clear that I won’t get on the ballot. So, I’m standing aside in the spirit of pluralism, diversity and generosity that I’ve promoted throughout this campaign, so that those who have supported me can recast their nominations.
“Whilst I’m disappointed not to have progressed further, I’m proud to have led the debate on key issues such as progressive alliances, electoral reform, democracy in our country, democracy within the Labour Party, racism and diversity, and the climate crisis. These issues aren’t going away and given the scale of our last defeat, need to tackled head on with sharp ideas and credible strategy so we can win the next election for the millions of people who deserve a Labour government.”
Over the weekend, the left-wing activist group Momentum, which helped propel Mr Corbyn to the leadership in 2015, said it was recommending support for Ms Long-Bailey and Ms Rayner.
It will now ask its members whether they agree with the recommendations, with ballots, consisting of just two questions, to be sent out this week.
The group’s backing for Ms Long-Bailey is unsurprising, given that she has long been the favoured candidate of the left to take on Mr Corbyn’s mantle.
However, many Corbyn-supporting MPs are backing Mr Burgon for deputy rather than Ms Rayner, and Momentum’s support will be a significant boost for her campaign.
Although she already has the support of her close friend Ms Long-Bailey, Ms Rayner is distrusted by some on the left after backing Andy Burnham for leader in 2015 rather than Mr Corbyn.
Reports have suggested some around the Labour leader believe she was responsible for trying to undermine him.
