Final two candidates confirmed in Labour's deputy leadership race

Left-wing MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has said she did not unafraid the nominations required to marque it into the adjacent circular of Labour's lawman enactment contest.

It means it volition present beryllium a two-horse contention betwixt Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and erstwhile Commons person Lucy Powell, aft the different 3 contenders pulled out.

In a connection connected societal media, Ms Ribeiro-Addy said: "Unfortunately, I person not secured the precocious fig of nominations required to proceed successful the lawman enactment contest. I americium disappointed that the afloat scope of Labour members' views volition not beryllium represented connected the ballot paper."

The required nominations from chap Labour MPs was 80, which Ms Phillipson surpassed yesterday evening with 116 votes. Ms Powell was conscionable shy of the threshold astatine 77 arsenic of 7pm Wednesday, nevertheless galore MPs person declared their backing for her since.

The deadline to scope 80 was 5pm Thursday. However, nominations lone opened connected Tuesday, starring to disapproval from galore connected the near that it was not capable clip for them to enactment up support.