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Whoever wins today is being encouraged to mobilise the thousands of people who have been engaged by the election and signed up to vote. Former deputy leader Lord Prescott says they should be given a voice and influence within the party. He tells Radio 4's Today that an elite cannot run the party, "dictating things from the centre", without consulting MPs and the wider membership. "We cannot go back to the leader dictating what the policy is - that is a mistake." 

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Put to him that Jeremy Corbyn, 66, isn't much younger, Ken Livingstone says "he's a lot fitter" and has a healthier lifestyle: "He doesn't drink, I do." Mr Livingstone goes on to liken him to UKIP leader Nigel Farage, in that he is an "ordinary guy" that people would like to chat to in the pub, although "Jeremy hates me saying this".

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BBC Radio 4

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Will Ken Livingstone be in line for a job if Jeremy Corbyn wins? The ex-London mayor says: "I haven't been asked anything, I've just been out campaigning for him." 

He adds:

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BBC Radio 4

Ken Livingstone says the UK has a bad trade deficit which he claims bankers love but which is "lethal" for the manufacturing base. Defending Jeremy Corbyn's economic policies, he says he would create new high tech high-skilled jobs if he was PM. He adds that Labour was too "austerity-lite" at the general election. 

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Former Labour home secretary Jack Straw says Labour is in a worse position now than it was in 1983, when under Michael Foot it suffered a landslide defeat to Margaret Thatcher. He tells Radio 4's Today that the party has been reduced to its "core vote" in England and Wales and has been "wiped out" in Scotland. "It is the worst challenge that the party has faced, at least since the Second World War." 

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Does Jeremy Corbyn  have an impossible task of party management if he wins? Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London and a Corbyn supporter, says he's never seen him lose his temper or be rude, "and you can't say that about me". He says he is "quite consensual" and wants a debate about policies, so MPs needn't be concerned. Mr Livingstone adds that Mr Corbyn's economic strategy will "modernise the economy" and create more homes.

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This picture of the potential next Leader of the Opposition has been attracting attention.The Daily Mail, external commented that Mr Corbyn looked "more like a pensioner popping out for a pint of milk than someone who is about to take charge of one of the world's best-known political parties", while the Daily Mirror, external said Mr Corbyn's "laid-back look" is "certainly a refreshing change from [David] Cameron’s studied style".

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The four Labour leadership candidates will be told the outcome of the contest a little before the conference begins - but they'll be sworn to secrecy. The Huffington Post reports that the candidates have "devised secret signals, external to alert their campaigns to the final result" when they take to the stage.

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Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth , Debbie Abrahams tells the BBC it's been "a long campaign" and it's time for the party to "get on" with leading an effective opposition. She's backed Andy Burnham, saying he has the "vision, the values" and the "common touch" to connect with voters.

"It's a big day for the party," adds Neil Coyle, Labour MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark. The new leader has to make sure the whole of the party is represented in the shadow cabinet, and focus on winning the election in 2020, he adds.

Both of them stress the need for "unity", with Ms Abrahams saying "we can't go back to the 1980s".

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In other Labour news, Tooting MP Sadiq Khan was chosen as Labour's candidate to fight next year's London mayoral elections yesterday. He won with 58.9% of the vote, in the fifth round of voting after four other candidates had been eliminated. Ex-minister Tessa Jowell, regarded as the frontrunner going into the contest, came second with 41.1%, while Hackney MP Diane Abbott came in third.  Mr Khan said he was "overwhelmed" and "deeply honoured" to have won the vote.

Image source, Reuters

It's certainly been a lively contest filled with plenty of drama from the start. Jeremy Corbyn only made it onto the ballot with minutes to spare, after help from some MPs who "lent" him their nomination, saying they wanted to broaden the debate. But the rank outsider's campaign soon gained in popularity and he became the bookies' favourite to win the contest. His rise has caused something of a fall-out between the left and right camps in the Labour Party, however - with senior party figures, including Tony Blair, warning that the party will be unelectable if it moved further left.

There have been criticisms of the new voting process, which for the first time has enabled people to sign up as registered supporters for £3, entitling them to a vote. There have been claims of infiltration by non-Labour supporters seeking to sabotage the contest and also reports that many people did not receive their voting papers in time. However, Labour denied this was the case. It also says it has been weeding out anyone who has signed up for a vote but who does not share the party's "values and aims".

The special leadership conference will be kicking off at about 11:00, and the new deputy leader will be announced first. News of who was won the leadership contest will come at about 11.30. In both cases, details of the results in each round of voting will be shown. Both winners are to make make short acceptance speeches.