Labour leadership: Candidates clash in Liverpool hustings as Keir Starmer takes early poll lead
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Labour leadership hopefuls have gone head-to-head for the chance to succeed Jeremy Corbyn at the party's first hustings.
Sir Keir Starmer has cemented his early lead in the contest with a new YouGov poll of Labour members handing him a clear lead over his nearest rival, left-wing contender Rebecca Long-Bailey.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry was struggling to make up ground as she launched her campaign on Friday, with prominent backbenchers Lisa Nandy and Jess Phillips also trailing behind.
The hustings in Liverpool on Saturday also saw a clash between deputy leadership hopefuls, where Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, is the clear favourite.
The candidates are all sticking to their allocated 40-seconds to give their responses, making for a quick-moving debate.
Responding to a question of why they are the person to beat Boris Johnson, Ms Thornberry said the way she would take him on "because that prime minister needs to be exposed".
Ms Nandy said Labour needs somebody who can speak for the whole country.
Sir Keir said the Labour leader would have to unite the party, form an effective opposition and forge a path to victory.
Ms Long-Baily said "an aspirational socialist government" would "drive through democratic reform, democratise our economy" and ensure prosperity reaches every community Labour represents.
Ms Phillips said she had a track-record of taking on Mr Johnson from the back benches. "We've got to start talking to people's hearts and speaking in a message that people receive, because that's what Boris Johnson does." She said "this is the fight of our lives" and Labour had to do something "different and bold", before claiming the prime minister would be "terrified" to face her.
Sir Keir has said he will not be giving any interview's to The Sun during the Labour leadership campaign.
Both Ms Long-Baily and Ms Phillips have criticised the impact of social media on the coverage of politics and politicians.
Ms Thornberry said she would stand down if she was smeared by the media in a general election, "because I will never get in the way of a Labour victory".
Labour needs to "look within and see what went wrong" after it lost the trust of many Jewish members, Ms Long-Baily has said in response to a question about antisemitism within the party.
Ms Phillips said it was "deeply serious" that Jewish people were scared of the Labour party winning the election. "Not only do we owe it to our Jewish members, our Jewish members, our Jewish groups and Jewish allies. We have lost the moral high ground to fight racism in this country because of the way that we have handled antisemitism."
Ms Thornberry said Labour has to stand up to racism, which she said was "unacceptable" because it "undermines our party and it undermines our soul". She said Labour should kick out antisemities "in the same way that Oswald Mosley was kicked out of Liverpool in 1937."
It is "perfectly possible" to fight for the recognition of Palestine and to defend the right of Israel to exist, Ms Nandy said. "We cannot go out and claim to be creating a more equal, fairer and more compassionate society unless we get our own house in order."
Sir Keir said it was possible to criticise Israeli policies without being antisemitic. "But the other part is simple, if you're antisemitic you shouldn't be in the Labour party. It is as simple as that."
Earlier, Ms Phillips took a swipe at some her fellow contenders for keeping quiet over antisemitism in the party.
She said: "The Labour Party needs a leader who has spoken out against antisemitism, and other forms of harassment in fact.
"When others were keeping quite and somebody who was in the room, struggling for an independent system - lots and lots of meetings - I have to say I don't remember some of the people here being in that particular room or being in those particular fights."
The candidates have been given two minutes to set out their final pledges and explain why they should be elected Labour leader.
You can follow along live here.
"Being leader of the Labour Party in opposition is, quite frankly, the worst job in the world," Ms Thornberry has said.
"That's what we are applying for. In the end we have to wade through an awful lot of s**t."
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