Keir Starmer stretches lead over Rebecca Long-Bailey in Labour leadership race, new poll suggests
2 min read
Keir Starmer has stretched his lead over Rebecca Long-Bailey in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, according to a new poll.
The YouGov survey predicts that the Shadow Brexit Secretary will beat his closest rival by 63% to 37% in the final round of voting.
Last month, the same pollster forecast that Sir Keir would come out on top by 61% to 39%.
Under the proportional voting system used in the Labour leadership election, those eligible to take part are asked to rank the candidates in order of preference.
The candidate coming bottom in each round of voting drops out until only one remains.
According to the latest poll, the Holborn and St Pancras MP would secure 46% of the vote in the first round of voting, with Ms Long-Bailey on 32%, Jess Phillips on 11%, Lisa Nandy on 7% and Emily Thornberry on 3%.
Sir Keir maintains his 14-point lead in the second round (47% to 33%), with Ms Phillips on 12% and Ms Nandy on 8%.
In the third round, he scores 51% to Ms Long-Bailey's 35%, with Ms Phillips on 13%.
And in the final run-off, Sir Keir wins by 63% to 37%.
The findings are a huge boost for the former Director of Public Prosecutions ahead of the first leadership hustings in Liverpool on Saturday.
They come just days after another poll, by Survation for the LabourList website, predicted that Ms Long-Bailey would win in the final round by 51% to 49%.
Sir Keir, the odds-on bookies' favourite to win the contest, received another boost on Friday night when Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson endorsed him.
The pro-Jeremy Corbyn actor said: "All the contestants are worthy people - but I've got to throw my weight behind Keir Starmer - and I'm going to ask you do the same.
"We can't make any more mistakes. We just took a terrible drumming at the last election. We've got to overturn this government run by Boris the buffoon.
"So get behind me, join me, and get behind Keir Starmer for the next leader of the Labour Party."
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