Tessa Jowell and Sadiq Khan head a list of six vying to become the Labour candidate for next year’s London mayoral election.
The others on the list are the MPs David Lammy, Diane Abbott and Gareth Thomas, and the journalist Christian Wolmar.
Jowell is a former culture secretary and Olympics minister, while Khan quit as shadow justice secretary to focus on the mayoral contest.
The six are seeking to capture city hall when Boris Johnson steps down after eight years as mayor.
The Conservative MP and environmentalist Zac Goldsmith is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the election.
Labour’s London constituency parties had two nominations each, one of which had to be for a female candidate. Jowell won 63 nominations, Khan 42, Lammy 15, Abbott eight, and Thomas and Wolmar both had six.
Nominations from trade unions and other affiliated organisations went mostly to Khan with seven. Jowell won two, and Thomas one.
All of Labour’s city hall hopefuls who secured the minimum nominations required from the party’s London constituencies progressed through an interview process to make it on to the ballot paper.
Khan said he was grateful to the local Labour parties, trade unions and affiliated organisations who nominated him.
Delighted to be on shortlist to be the Labour candidate for Mayor of London! #TogetherWeKhan http://t.co/5W8liNew8q pic.twitter.com/088c8HtG5x
— Sadiq Khan MP (@SadiqKhan) June 13, 2015
“I will now spend every day until the polls close convincing Londoners taking part in the selection process that I am worthy of their trust and that I can deliver the victory in 2016 we all want,” he said.
Voting, on a one-member-one-vote basis, will be open to Labour members and anyone who pays £3 to be a registered supporter or signs up as an affiliate supporter by 12 August.
Honoured to be shortlisted to be Labour candidate for Mayor of London. Thank you to everyone for your support so far - now let's do this!
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 13, 2015
The winner will be announced alongside the party’s new leader and deputy over the weekend of 12 and 13 September.
Only Labour candidate for Mayor proposing a cut in tube, train & bus fares - matters for inner Ldn but = crucial help for Outer London
— Gareth Thomas (@GarethThomasMP) June 13, 2015
Labour’s acting leader, Harriet Harman, said hustings events would be open to the public.
Wolmar: Delighted to be shortlisted. Now I'll recruit 10,000 supporters http://t.co/3yaWYmKXxn
— Christian Wolmar (@christianwolmar) June 13, 2015
“Anybody resident in London who supports the Labour party can register to vote for who they want to see as the next Labour mayor,” she said.
“Labour’s mayoral candidate will lead the fightback against the Tories on behalf of Londoners. Who we choose is crucial, and a decision that I want everybody to be involved in making.”
