Yvette Cooper seeks Welsh support for Labour leadership

Yvette Cooper has launched a fierce attack on Labour leadership rival Jeremy Corbyn

Yvette Cooper is taking her fight for Labour leadership to Wales, claiming only she can defeat Jeremy Corbyn.

The shadow home secretary will meet members in Connah's Quay, Flintshire, which Mr Corbyn visited on Monday.

Ms Cooper is backed by Wales' Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews, and Welsh MPs including Shadow Culture Secretary Chris Bryant and Ann Clwyd.

Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall, the other contenders, are due to visit Wrexham and Cardiff respectively on Sunday.

'Not credible'

On her third leadership campaign visit to Wales on Friday, Ms Cooper will stress the need to create more hi-tech jobs such as those at Airbus in Broughton, rather than re-open coal mines in south Wales as Mr Corbyn has suggested.

With one month of the Labour leadership campaign to go, debate has increasingly focused on the prospect of a victory by Mr Corbyn.

On Friday, Ms Cooper and Ms Kendall called for a pact, urging their supporters to give their second and third preference votes to anyone but the veteran left-winger.

Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Jeremy Corbyn hope to succeed Ed Miliband

Ms Cooper had turned her fire on Mr Corbyn on Thursday, claiming his economic policies were "not credible".

A two-day campaign visit to Wales by Mr Corbyn ended on Tuesday evening with a rally in Cardiff which attracted about 1,000 supporters.

Mr Burnham has the support of the Welsh government's Communities Minister Lesley Griffiths, who will chair his question-and-answer session with party members in Wrexham on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, Ms Kendall is due to meet supporters of her campaign in Cardiff.

Ballot papers are being sent on Friday to Labour party members, affiliated members and registered supporters who will rank the candidates in order of preference when voting.

The winner will be named on 12 September.