Labour leadership candidate Lisa Nandy has said she would vote to scrap the monarchy.

Ms Nandy said that the issue would not be a priority for Labour under her leadership, but that as a democrat she would not vote to keep the royal family – even though she would “quite like to see Queen Meghan at some point”.

Left-wing contender Rebecca Long-Bailey said she would not abolish the monarchy, while frontrunner Keir Starmer said he would “downsize” the royals but not get rid of them.

The exchange came in a live TV debate on Channel 4 just days after the field to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader was slimmed down to three on the elimination of Emily Thornberry on Friday.

Ms Long-Bailey used the debate to issue a call for the government to stage a new investigation into the ethics and morality of the media in the wake of the death of Caroline Flack.

And none of the three contenders named either Mr Corbyn or Tony Blair when asked who was their favourite Labour leader of the past 50 years.

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Show all 8 1 /8 The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Keir Starmer The former director of public prosecutions undoubtedly has announced that he is standing for the leadership. He is highly-regarded by both left-wingers and centrists in the party. As Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, he played a key role in the party’s eventual backing of a second referendum. Before becoming an MP, he was a human rights lawyer - conducting cases in international courts including the European Court of Human Rights. Launching his bid, Starmer said that Labour must listen to the public on how to change "restore trust in our party as a force for good." A YouGov poll places him comfortably in the lead as the preferred candidate of 36% of party members EPA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Lisa Nandy Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has announced she wil stand for the leadership. In a letter to the Wigan Post she said she wanted to bring Labour "home" to voters in its traditional strongholds who have abandoned the party. Nandy went on to say that she understands "that we have one chance to win back the trust of people in Wigan, Workington and Wrexham." A YouGov poll shows that Nandy is the first preference for 6% of partymembers. Getty The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Rebecca Long Bailey A key ally of the current left-wing leadership of the party, the Salford & Eccles MP is viewed in some quarters as the natural successor to Mr Corbyn and describes herself as a “proud socialist”. Highly regarded by the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell. She won also won plaudits for her performance filling in for Corbyn both at prime minister’s questions and during the general election debates. The shadow business secretary grew up by Old Trafford football ground and began her working life serving at the counter of a pawn shop. Launching her leadership bid, Long Bailey said the party needs to make the positive case for immigration as a "positive force." She also broke with Corbyn over Trident, saying "If you have a deterrent you have to be prepared to use it." PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Angela Rayner - Deputy leadership Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has joined the contest for deputy leadership of the party. After ruling herself out of running for the leadership, the Ashton-under-Lynne MP launched her bid for deputy warning that Labour faces the "biggest challenge" in its history and must "win or die." She is close with leadership contender Rebecca Long Bailey PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Rosena Allin-Khan - Deputy leadership Shadow sport minister Rosena Allin-Khan said Labour need to listen with "humility" to lost voters as she launched her bid for the deputy leadership. Writing in The Independent, the MP for Tooting refelcted: "We shouldn’t have ignored the warning signs in Scotland, and now we’ve paid the price in northern England, across the midlands and in Wales." PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Dawn Butler - Deputy leadership Shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler was first to announce her bid for the deputy leadership. The Brent Central MP has served in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet since 2016 PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Ian Murray - Deputy leadership Labour's only MP in Scotland said that the architects of the party's "catastrophic failure" in the December election can not be allowed to lead the party forward PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Richard Burgon - Deputy leadership Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon is standing as a continuity candidate, flaunting his loyalty to Jeremy Corbyn and saying it is wrong to blame the current leader for the election defeat PA

Ms Long-Bailey initially chose Clement Attlee – who left the leadership 75 years ago – before naming her predecessor as Salford MP Frank Allaun as her favourite MP. Starmer plumped for Harold Wilson as the best Labour leader, while Nandy said “I’m hoping we are about to elect her.”

Asked in a series of quickfire questions how she would vote in a referendum on keeping the monarchy, Ms Nandy replied: “I’m a democrat, so I would vote to scrap it, but actually this is not the priority as a country.”

Sir Keir said: “I wouldn’t. I think I’d downsize it.” And Long-Bailey said: “I wouldn’t vote to abolish the monarchy.”

Following the death of Love Island host Flack, who had been the subject of intense scrutiny online and in the media, Ms Long-Bailey said that ministers should revive the second phase of the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics, which was axed by then culture secretary Matt Hancock in 2018.

She said: “There’s a huge issue to look at in terms of online bullying and social media companies and the way that the press – certainly the tabloids – respond to that and amplify that.

“I think we need to ensure that the government puts pressure on the social media companies to tackle online abuse on their platforms.

“But I also think that the government needs to press ahead with the second stage of the Leveson inquiry about examining the role of the media within society – a free press but also upholding ethical and moral principles.”

Sir Keir said that Flack’s death “shines a torch into the soul of our nation” and highlights the impact of abuse on social media.

He said tech companies need to take more responsibility for material published on their platforms.

“There’s yards of abuse on social media and it’s about time that those providing the platform take responsibility for what is on it,” said Starmer.

Keir Starmer (Getty)

“This has been going on a long time. There’s abuse and hatred and it’s not just Caroline’s case. There are youngsters taking their lives because of what they see on social media.

“When I was director of public prosecutions, I tried to persuade social media to take responsibility and their response was, ‘If it isn’t terrorism, we are not going to’. That’s got to change now.”

Ms Nandy said it had become “difficult to be in public life at the moment, because there is an unkindness that’s crept into our public debate that I think is detrimental to all of us”.

Rebecca Long Bailey calls for Leveson 2 inquiry into press ethics in wake of Caroline Flack death

She said there should be “much greater support” made available to people suffering online abuse.

And she added: “I think we need to start challenging the public discourse in this country.