One deputy PM hopeful will give Starmer sleepless nights

Is Keir Starmer's worst political nightmare about to unfold? Following Angela Rayner's resignation from the cabinet as well as her role as Labour's deputy leader, the party has been plunged into another self-inflicted crisis.

- PATRICK DIAMOND

Labour is a party where ideological schism and civil war are never far away - and, as the contest to replace her begins, the prime minister's problems may be about to get a great deal worse.

Of the current runners and riders for the deputy leadership - and, at the time of writing, only Emily Thornberry has indicated she is even thinking of going for it - several possible candidates could pose a threat to the prime minister's authority.

But first, the good news for Starmer. Whoever is declared the winner in October, they will be a sitting MP chosen by the Labour membership... and unlikely to come from within the party's hard left. To secure their nomination, candidates first require the backing of roughly 80 MPs, 20 per cent of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) - and have until 5pm on Thursday to collect the required signatures, leading to accusations that it is a “stitch-up”.

If what was once the Corbynite/Momentum wing of the party is to be in with a chance, it will have to coalesce around a chosen figure. In this respect, the Corbyn/Sultana breakaway movement has done Labour's hard left a disservice.