Resignations plunge Labour back into turmoil

'Bombproof' Jeremy Corbyn wins new mandate

24 September

Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected leader of the Labour party with an increased share of the vote.

After a bitter and divisive campaign, Corbyn secured 61.8 per cent of the vote, up from the 59.5 per cent when he became leader last year. More than 506,400 votes were cast, a rise of 422,900 at the last election.

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His opponent, Owen Smith, said: "Jeremy has won the contest. He now has to win the country and he will have my support in trying to do so."

Some commentators had predicted Corbyn would win 65 per cent of the vote. "But his team will present this as a big win and a further boost of his mandate," says Norman Smith, the BBC's chief political correspondent. "Mr Corbyn is almost bombproof now."

By contrast, says Jim Waterson, the political editor of Buzzfeed UK, his opponents on the Labour benches appear to "lack ideas and lack structure".

"The only way you're going to get rid of Jeremy Corbyn now is if he quits or if there's a mass disillusionment of Labour members," Waterson says.

Making his victory speech, Corbyn said he would seek to reunite Labour.

"Let's wipe that slate clean from today and get on with the work we have to do as a party together," he said.

But it remains unclear whether his Labour opponents are prepared to work with him. Yesterday, it emerged that several MPs would refuse to return to the frontbench if Corbyn failed to accept elections to the shadow cabinet.

The likes of Heidi Alexander, Stella Creasy, Rachel Reeves and Gloria De Piero have either not been approached or are expected to be unwilling to take a shadow cabinet post without a mandate from their fellow MPs.

They are instead preparing for what one called "coexistence" with Corbyn from the backbenches.

Others, including high-profile figures, such as Hilary Benn, Chuka Umunna and Yvette Cooper, aim to chair powerful select committees, suggesting they believe they can oppose Theresa May's government most effectively from outside the shadow cabinet.

However, Corbyn still believes he can win over enough MPs to reinforce his front-bench team without having to concede on elections, although a source said the issue was "up for discussion".

Corbyn himself has repeatedly promised to hold out an olive branch to his MPs and has even quipped that he is growing a tree on his balcony for precisely that purpose.

Labour leadership polls close: What are the odds on Smith beating Corbyn?

21 September

Voting has now closed in the Labour leadership election, with the result due to be announced in Liverpool on Saturday.

Jeremy Corbyn and his rival Owen Smith made final pitches for support this morning.

Around 640,000 were eligible to vote, including 343,500 full members, 168,000 union-affiliated supporters and 129,000 registered supporters, who paid £25 to vote.

While this represents an increase of more than 80,000 from last year's contest, tens of thousands of people were excluded from taking part in the vote.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has predicted a comfortable win for Corbyn, but said he might not increase his share of the vote since last year because of the numbers who were prevented from voting.

Among bookmakers, Corbyn is the overwhelming favourite, with odds of 1/100. Smith's odds are much longer at 16/1.

One voter who has opted for Smith, however, is Corbyn's first wife Jane Chapman. She told Radio 5 Live that she voted for Corbyn last year out of "personal loyalty", but said his leadership of the party had been "a bit chaotic".

Meanwhile, former Labour minister Chris Mullin has published a memoir called Hinterland in which he calls for an electoral pact with the Liberal Democrats and Green Party.

The latest opinion poll for the next UK general election puts Labour seven points behind the Conservatives, with Ukip in third place and boasting almost double the support of the public than the Lib Dems.

Labour leadership election polls and odds: What happens next?

19 September

With the Labour leadership ballot closing on Wednesday, incumbent Jeremy Corbyn looks ever more likely to beat his rival Owen Smith

The result will be announced in Liverpool on Saturday, but few are predicting that it will help to settle the deep divisions in the party.

Several bookmakers are offering odds of 1/100 or 1/50 on Corbyn winning, meaning if you placed a £1 bet on his victory you would only end up 1p or 2p better off – whereas Smith has odds of 12/1.

Three public polls, carried out last month, gave Corbyn a strong lead among eligible voters, but showed that Smith was more popular with non-Labour voters.

In the latest YouGov/The Times polls, Corbyn had a 22-point lead over his rival.

But while a Corbyn win seems fairly predictable, the future of the party looks precarious.

The Guardian has considered a number of possible scenarios for Labour, including a material split in the party; an ongoing war in which backbench MPs "work together to provide an alternative voice of opposition to the government"; and a new formal movement within the boundaries of the party for progressive Labour groups in and outside of parliament.

"Even if Smith is soundly beaten, few expect peace to break out, after a bruising contest that has exposed the fault lines between the warring sides in the Labour movement," says the newspaper.