Labour leadership: Who are Welsh MPs backing?

Four candidates remain in the race for the Labour leadership

On Monday the Labour party found out who of the six runners and riders in the leadership contest got the backing they needed from the party's parliamentarians.

Five - Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long Bailey, Lisa Nandy, Jess Phillips and Emily Thornberry - received the nominations required, while Clive Lewis withdrew earlier in the day.

Candidates needed at least 22 MPs and MEPs to survive the first stage of the contest.

They will need backing from trade unions and local constituency parties to ensure a place on the ballot paper.

Despite the losses of the general election Labour still have the majority of MPs in Wales, and all 22 will had a chance to nominate.

It follows an election result that saw the party lose scores of seats including six in Wales.

Getty Images

Sir Keir Starmer is currently the shadow Brexit secretary

Which Welsh MPs have backed Sir Keir Starmer?

The frontrunner from the Labour nominations is the former boss of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Sir Keir obtained 89 nominations from his colleagues in the Commons and Brussels.

Of those, 13 come from Wales - including most Welsh Labour MPs.

They include:

  • Caerphilly's Wayne David

  • Alyn and Deeside's Mark Tami

  • Swansea West's Geraint Davies

  • Cardiff South and Penarth's Stephen Doughty

  • Islwyn's Chris Evans

  • Swansea East's Carolyn Harris

  • Cardiff North's Anna McMorrin

  • Newport East's Jessica Morden

  • Blaenau Gwent's Nick Smith

  • Cardiff Central's Jo Stevens

  • Torfaen's Nick Thomas-Symonds

  • Ogmore's Chris Elmore

  • Welsh Labour MEP Jackie Jones

  • Neath's Christina Rees

Jo Stevens told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme all the candidates "have something to offer".

She said Sir Keir would unite the party: "I want to see somebody leading the party who every Wednesday lunchtime each week eviscerates Boris Johnson at the dispatch box.

"I think Keir can do that."

PA Media

Lisa Nandy is MP for Wigan

Lisa Nandy

Sir Keir has by far the most nominations from Welsh MPs, while Lisa Nandy has the second largest number of backers from Welsh Labour, with three MPs supporting her.

They are:

  • Cardiff West's Kevin Brennan

  • Newport West's Ruth Jones

  • Aberavon's Stephen Kinnock

Mr Kinnock said the election is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to start re-building trust and support in our heartlands, as the first step to stabilising and strengthening our electoral coalition".

Writing on Politics Home he said Ms Nandy has "a profound understanding of why and how we have got ourselves into this mess".

Getty Images

Emily Thornberry is shadow foreign secretary

Emily Thornberry

Emily Thornberry gained 23 nominations including three from Wales.

They are:

  • Alex Davies-Jones from Pontypridd

  • Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney's Gerald Jones

  • Llanelli's Nia Griffith

Ms Griffith tweeted that Ms Thornberry had "real verve and experience".

Ms Davies-Jones added: "I wanted to support a woman for leader and her experience, passion and knowledge won me over."

PA Media

Rebecca Long Bailey is the shadow business secretary

The others

Rebecca Long Bailey received 33 nominations, including one from Welsh Labour.

Beth Winter, newly elected MP for Cynon Valley, tweeted that she was looking forward to campaigning with the MP in Wales.

Getty Images

Jess Phillips is MP for Birmingham Yardley

Jessica Phillips gained 23 nominations including two Welsh MPs - Tonia Antoniazzi from Gower and Rhondda's Chris Bryant.

Chris Bryant told BBC Wales it will be a "phenomenally difficult" task to overturn the Conservative majority .

He said Phillips reaches out "into the community far more effectively than anybody else when you put her on television".

More on this story