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| Cooper and Kendall vow to fight on in Labour contest | Cooper and Kendall vow to fight on in Labour contest |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall have rejected claims they considered quitting the Labour leadership race to prevent Jeremy Corbyn winning. | Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall have rejected claims they considered quitting the Labour leadership race to prevent Jeremy Corbyn winning. |
| They say reports they discussed backing Andy Burnham, who some polls suggest stands the best chance of beating the veteran left-winger, are groundless. | |
| It comes as Mr Burnham reached out to Mr Corbyn's supporters saying he would offer their man a role if he wins. | It comes as Mr Burnham reached out to Mr Corbyn's supporters saying he would offer their man a role if he wins. |
| Mr Corbyn said he welcomed "Andy's inclusive tone towards our campaign". | Mr Corbyn said he welcomed "Andy's inclusive tone towards our campaign". |
| "The view is mutual - if we win we would involve Andy in our team if he was willing. From day one, whoever wins must pull the party together," he added. | "The view is mutual - if we win we would involve Andy in our team if he was willing. From day one, whoever wins must pull the party together," he added. |
| The four leadership rivals are scrapping over first, second and third preference votes as ballot papers begin dropping through Labour members' letterboxes. | |
| 'Credible' | 'Credible' |
| Senior Labour figures fear the contest has been hijacked by hard left activists signing up to the party to vote for Mr Corbyn, who has emerged from rank outsider to be the favourite to succeed Ed Miliband, according to opinion polls and his three rivals. | Senior Labour figures fear the contest has been hijacked by hard left activists signing up to the party to vote for Mr Corbyn, who has emerged from rank outsider to be the favourite to succeed Ed Miliband, according to opinion polls and his three rivals. |
| Former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have both intervened to warn against voting for Mr Corbyn, with Mr Brown saying Labour must be "credible" and "electable" in order to win back power. | Former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have both intervened to warn against voting for Mr Corbyn, with Mr Brown saying Labour must be "credible" and "electable" in order to win back power. |
| And David Miliband told The Guardian it would risk creating a one-governing-party state dominated by the Conservatives. The former foreign secretary said he was backing Liz Kendall. | And David Miliband told The Guardian it would risk creating a one-governing-party state dominated by the Conservatives. The former foreign secretary said he was backing Liz Kendall. |
| Sources close to his brother, Ed, said he would not be making any comment on the contest: "He is following established precedent and believes the debate must play out between the candidates." | Sources close to his brother, Ed, said he would not be making any comment on the contest: "He is following established precedent and believes the debate must play out between the candidates." |
| Reports in the Telegraph that Lord Mandelson had approached Ms Kendall, Mr Burnham and Ms Cooper last week to ask them to quit the race - to bring the campaign to a halt and scupper Mr Corbyn - have been rejected by Ms Cooper and Ms Kendall. | Reports in the Telegraph that Lord Mandelson had approached Ms Kendall, Mr Burnham and Ms Cooper last week to ask them to quit the race - to bring the campaign to a halt and scupper Mr Corbyn - have been rejected by Ms Cooper and Ms Kendall. |
| Ms Cooper said: "I've not discussed this with Peter Mandelson. I gather there was some view that maybe the whole process should be stopped because so many people were joining at the last minute. | Ms Cooper said: "I've not discussed this with Peter Mandelson. I gather there was some view that maybe the whole process should be stopped because so many people were joining at the last minute. |
| "I don't think that's right. I think it's a good thing that people are joining the party." | "I don't think that's right. I think it's a good thing that people are joining the party." |
| Both she and Ms Kendall have warned the party faces electoral oblivion if Mr Corbyn wins, arguing that his left-wing policies, such as renationalising utilities, scrapping Trident and "printing money" to fund new infrastructure, are not credible. | Both she and Ms Kendall have warned the party faces electoral oblivion if Mr Corbyn wins, arguing that his left-wing policies, such as renationalising utilities, scrapping Trident and "printing money" to fund new infrastructure, are not credible. |
| Labour leadership contest | Labour leadership contest |
| But both firmly deny they have talked about quitting the race to stop Mr Corbyn, insisting their campaigns are still on track and they are fighting to win. | But both firmly deny they have talked about quitting the race to stop Mr Corbyn, insisting their campaigns are still on track and they are fighting to win. |
| Ms Kendall told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "I have said obviously I want people to vote for me with their first preference but that they should use their second and third preferences for Yvette or Andy, or Andy or Yvette." | Ms Kendall told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "I have said obviously I want people to vote for me with their first preference but that they should use their second and third preferences for Yvette or Andy, or Andy or Yvette." |
| More than 160,000 people signed up to vote as supporters, full members or union affiliates in the final days before the registration deadline, bringing the total size of the electorate to 610,000. | More than 160,000 people signed up to vote as supporters, full members or union affiliates in the final days before the registration deadline, bringing the total size of the electorate to 610,000. |
| Andy Burnham, who began the race as the bookmakers' favourite, claimed in a speech that he was now the only candidate that could beat Mr Corbyn and unite the party. | Andy Burnham, who began the race as the bookmakers' favourite, claimed in a speech that he was now the only candidate that could beat Mr Corbyn and unite the party. |
| 'Fighting to win' | 'Fighting to win' |
| He said he shared a "good deal of common ground" with Mr Corbyn, on issues such as transport and education, and he would offer the veteran left-winger a role in rebuilding the party if he won. | He said he shared a "good deal of common ground" with Mr Corbyn, on issues such as transport and education, and he would offer the veteran left-winger a role in rebuilding the party if he won. |
| But he criticised the Islington North MP's sceptical stance on the European Union and attacked his economic policies, which he said would "would leave us open to losing the argument on the economy on day one". | But he criticised the Islington North MP's sceptical stance on the European Union and attacked his economic policies, which he said would "would leave us open to losing the argument on the economy on day one". |
| He added: "I won't let our party repeat the history of the early 1980s when we were more interested in fighting each other and we left the pitch clear for Margaret Thatcher to bulldoze her way through Labour communities up and down the country." | He added: "I won't let our party repeat the history of the early 1980s when we were more interested in fighting each other and we left the pitch clear for Margaret Thatcher to bulldoze her way through Labour communities up and down the country." |
| He said he was now "fighting to win this contest with everything I've got because the very future of our party hangs in the balance". | He said he was now "fighting to win this contest with everything I've got because the very future of our party hangs in the balance". |
| He also told supporters he would oppose the government's controversial Welfare Bill if he wins the contest, saying he only abstained in a Commons vote on the issue - a move which attracted criticism from Mr Corbyn's supporters - to preserve party unity. | He also told supporters he would oppose the government's controversial Welfare Bill if he wins the contest, saying he only abstained in a Commons vote on the issue - a move which attracted criticism from Mr Corbyn's supporters - to preserve party unity. |
| Deputy leadership candidate Ben Bradshaw said that in his Exeter constituency, it had been found that 10% of new registered supporters had "always said they have been strongly against Labour - they have never voted Labour". | Deputy leadership candidate Ben Bradshaw said that in his Exeter constituency, it had been found that 10% of new registered supporters had "always said they have been strongly against Labour - they have never voted Labour". |
| He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "That's a potential problem for the party. The party has assured all of us, the leaders and deputy leader candidates, that it has the systems in place to weed these people out." | He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "That's a potential problem for the party. The party has assured all of us, the leaders and deputy leader candidates, that it has the systems in place to weed these people out." |
| Are you a Labour Party member? Have you received your ballot papers? We would like to hear from you - please email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk | Are you a Labour Party member? Have you received your ballot papers? We would like to hear from you - please email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk |
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