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| Labour leadership: Harman vows to weed out all 'cheats' | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Harriet Harman has said 3,000 alleged "cheats" have so far been excluded from voting in the Labour leadership contest, with more expected. | |
| The acting Labour leader said: "It is not funny or clever for people from other parties to try to cheat their way into our system." | |
| And only people who supported the "aims and values" of the Labour Party would be allowed to take part. | |
| She was speaking after a meeting with the four leadership contenders. | |
| She said the verification process was "robust" and would go on until the "very last minute". | |
| Under new rules, members of the public could sign up to vote in the Labour leadership contest for £3, leading to a major boost in support for the party but sparking fears of infiltration and mischief-making. | Under new rules, members of the public could sign up to vote in the Labour leadership contest for £3, leading to a major boost in support for the party but sparking fears of infiltration and mischief-making. |
| No legal challenge | No legal challenge |
| More than 160,000 people signed up to vote 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 in the final days before the registration deadline, bringing the total size of the electorate to 610,000. |
| Party officials are working round the clock to weed out people who support other parties - but there have also been complaints that people are being unfairly excluded. | Party officials are working round the clock to weed out people who support other parties - but there have also been complaints that people are being unfairly excluded. |
| Some Conservative activists have admitted signing up to vote for left winger Jeremy Corbyn, who they believe would be bad for Labour. | |
| But Mr Corbyn has rejected as "nonsense" claims of widespread Tory infiltration, and he said left-wing supporters of other parties who had been banned from voting should have a "right of appeal". | |
| "Are there any Tory infiltrators? I think there has been a lot of nonsense in the papers - 600,000 people have either joined the Labour Party or signed up as supporters, we should be pleased about that," he said at a BBC Radio 5 live hustings in Stevenage. | |
| "There are a few Tory MPs I understand tried to register, got rejected. End of story." | "There are a few Tory MPs I understand tried to register, got rejected. End of story." |
| He said the Labour Party should welcome supporters of other parties, such as the Greens, "because that's how parties grow". | He said the Labour Party should welcome supporters of other parties, such as the Greens, "because that's how parties grow". |
| Leadership rival Andy Burnham said he believed there was a problem, but confirmed that he would not attempt to challenge the result in court even if he was narrowly defeated. | Leadership rival Andy Burnham said he believed there was a problem, but confirmed that he would not attempt to challenge the result in court even if he was narrowly defeated. |
| "I wouldn't want to overstate this whole issue, but there is some evidence that Tories are signed up to vote," he told the audience in Stevenage. | "I wouldn't want to overstate this whole issue, but there is some evidence that Tories are signed up to vote," he told the audience in Stevenage. |
| Yvette Cooper said candidates should not be involved in how the contest was being run and it was up to the Labour Party to make sure it was a robust process. | Yvette Cooper said candidates should not be involved in how the contest was being run and it was up to the Labour Party to make sure it was a robust process. |
| The fourth candidate, Liz Kendall, agreed, saying it was important to exclude anybody who had actively campaigned against the Labour Party. | The fourth candidate, Liz Kendall, agreed, saying it was important to exclude anybody who had actively campaigned against the Labour Party. |
| Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister John Prescott says the contest could end up splitting the party. | Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister John Prescott says the contest could end up splitting the party. |
| Analysis | Analysis |
| By Ross Hawkins, BBC political correspondent | By Ross Hawkins, BBC political correspondent |
| Time after time, Labour officials have insisted that the leadership election is robust, and some involved in fighting the contest have made clear that they fear it could be deeply flawed. | Time after time, Labour officials have insisted that the leadership election is robust, and some involved in fighting the contest have made clear that they fear it could be deeply flawed. |
| They argue as Andy Burnham's campaign manager Michael Dugher did last week, that a failure now could lead to a legal challenge later. | They argue as Andy Burnham's campaign manager Michael Dugher did last week, that a failure now could lead to a legal challenge later. |
| Some insist data obtained when Labour teams canvassed voters during the election should be used to help weed out opponents of the party who have secured ballot papers, a proposal that so far has been rejected. | Some insist data obtained when Labour teams canvassed voters during the election should be used to help weed out opponents of the party who have secured ballot papers, a proposal that so far has been rejected. |
| Others worry that valid voters could be deprived of a say by over-zealous officials. | Others worry that valid voters could be deprived of a say by over-zealous officials. |
| But there is another concern - that a process designed to enthuse new supporters could see a debate about policies overshadowed by a bitter dispute about the conduct of this election. | But there is another concern - that a process designed to enthuse new supporters could see a debate about policies overshadowed by a bitter dispute about the conduct of this election. |
| Lord Prescott, speaking at a rally for Andy Burnham, compared former leadership contender Chuka Umunna and Tristram Hunt to the so-called "Gang of Four" MPs who left the party to form the SDP in 1981. | Lord Prescott, speaking at a rally for Andy Burnham, compared former leadership contender Chuka Umunna and Tristram Hunt to the so-called "Gang of Four" MPs who left the party to form the SDP in 1981. |
| Mr Umunna and Mr Hunt have established the "Labour for the Common Good" group to look at how it can win back power. | Mr Umunna and Mr Hunt have established the "Labour for the Common Good" group to look at how it can win back power. |
| Lord Prescott said their actions were making him "more than worried" that the party could be heading for a repeat of the 1981 split. | Lord Prescott said their actions were making him "more than worried" that the party could be heading for a repeat of the 1981 split. |
| And ex-Labour cabinet minister Charles Clarke has described the leadership contest as a "disaster". | And ex-Labour cabinet minister Charles Clarke has described the leadership contest as a "disaster". |
| He told Newsnight the new voting rules brought in by former Labour leader Ed Miliband "were a mistake and many people argued that at the time". | He told Newsnight the new voting rules brought in by former Labour leader Ed Miliband "were a mistake and many people argued that at the time". |
| Labour leadership contest | Labour leadership contest |