Sir Keir Starmer’s hopes of being Labour leader have risen because of a surge in new party applicants since the election.
Insiders say the 30,000 who have signed up in the past week are mostly moderate Remainers who back the Shadow Brexit Secretary.
A source said: “Anyone who joins within three weeks of the leadership election will get a vote. There is a widespread view that Labour should ditch its ambitious spending promises.”
Only Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry has so far formally joined the leadership race. But Yvette Cooper, chair of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, is deciding over Christmas whether to have a second tilt at the top job.
She would vie with Sir Keir for the support of the 90 MPs in the soft-left Tribune group.
Bookies’ favourite is Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, who can expect the backing of Jeremy Corbyn ’s supporters among 465,000 members.
Coral odds are 7-4 for her in front of Sir Keir on 5-2 and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy on 4-1.
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner is considering joining her on an all-woman dream ticket as deputy.
There is broad agreement Labour should return to its well-received 2017 manifesto plus this year’s Green Industrial Revolution programme.
