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Voting in race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader ends today before successor named this weekend

The three Labour leadership candidates (L-R) Lisa Nandy at conference in Brighton on September 29, 2015, Keir Starmer speaking in Harlow on November 5, 2019 and Rebecca Long-Bailey at conference in Brighton on September 24, 2019: AFP via Getty Images
The three Labour leadership candidates (L-R) Lisa Nandy at conference in Brighton on September 29, 2015, Keir Starmer speaking in Harlow on November 5, 2019 and Rebecca Long-Bailey at conference in Brighton on September 24, 2019: AFP via Getty Images

Voting in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party chief ends today ahead of a new leader of the opposition being announced at the weekend.

Those eligible to vote have until midday to make their choice before the new leader is revealed on Saturday.

Shadow cabinet member Sir Keir Starmer has held a steady lead over rival candidates Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy in polls during the contest.

The latter stage of the leadership race, which was triggered as Mr Corbyn announced he was stepping down after the party's humiliating election defeat in December, has been overshadowed by the coronavirus outbreak.

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The winner of the contest to become Labour's deputy leader will also be unveiled at the same time.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has been seen as the favourite to take the post of deputy leader.

Ms Rayner is in a race against Dawn Butler, Ian Murray, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan and Richard Burgon.

On February 21 the ballot opened, with voting papers sent out to party members, members of affiliated trade unions and groups and 14,700 "registered supporters" who paid £25 to take part on a one-off basis.

Because of the coronavirus emergency the winners of the two contests will no longer be unveiled at a "special conference" as originally planned.

Instead, the winners will be announced at a scaled-back event with candidates having pre-recorded victory speeches.

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