Owen Smith enters Labour leadership race

Speaking outside the meeting, Mr Corbyn told a crowd of journalists and supporters: “So I’m on the ballot paper. and we will be campaigning on all the things that matter”.

Corbynistas – says it is his fans that elected him that count and not the bulk of his elected members of parliament who want to topple him.

The socialist head of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, will discover on Tuesday whether he has the automatic right to defend himself from a leadership challenge – a key moment in the running battle for control of the party.

She said there should be no legal challenge to the NEC’s decision but warned that Labour risks electoral wipeout in the north at the hands of Ukip, similar to that it has suffered in Scotland if Mr Corbyn remains leader.

“All other leadership candidates will require nominations from 20% of the PLP and EPLP”.

Many of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet members have resigned and publicly stated they had no confidence in his leadership.

The timetable for the contest will be published on Thursday but reports suggest it will run well into September.

The Labour leader is expected to stand against his former shadow business secretary Angela Eagle and former work and pensions secretary Owen Smith.

So whether it is foolhardy stubbornness or admirable determination, Mr Corbyn has done what he always said he would do, stay on to honour what he sees as an iron clad mandate from the membership.

“It’s not enough just to talk about being anti-austerity, Labour needs to set out the details of how we overcome Tory austerity and secure the next Labour government that delivers investment, not cuts.

We’ve had resignation, nomination, competition and coronation – they haven’t even decided what the rules are yet”. It’s a responsibility I’m carrying out.

Mr Smith told Today he made a decision to stand after a “dramatic collapse of faith and confidence in Jeremy” over “the last couple of weeks”.

But Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party president Edwin Jeffries said his members would be backing the leader.

“But I hope and I expect it will be me”, he said. There’s been a very long legal discussion this afternoon.

JEREMY CORBYN is preparing to deliver a speech to Britain’s biggest trade union with Labour’s ruling committee poised to decide whether he should automatically be allowed to take part in the upcoming leadership race.