Though Westminster has fallen quiet for the Christmas period, the contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour party continues. Here is the latest list of runners and riders.

Definite

Emily Thornberry: She was the first to declare she was running, but the odds are not great for the shadow foreign secretary. In a bumpy start to the process, she was involved in a spat with the former Labour MP Caroline Flint over comments Thornberry allegedly made about leave voters. (Thornberry denies making the remarks.) One move to differentiate herself from Corbyn has been to say that if Labour floundered in the polls under her leadership, she would quit. She said she would also leave if MPs told her they did not have confidence in her.

Clive Lewis: An unexpected entrant in the days before Christmas, Lewis is on the left and has been fairly loyal to Corbyn, serving as a shadow minister. He ranks in the middle of the table in terms of odds and there will be concern that he might split the vote with Rebecca Long-Bailey. His proposals include listening to the party membership more. He has at least one volunteer working on his campaign and is also the first to set up a leadership website, Clive For Leader.

Expected to run

Rebecca Long-Bailey: Despite not saying a word herself, there has been an intense amount of briefing around the shadow business secretary’s intention to run. She is the closest to Corbyn of the likely candidates, is considered John McDonnell’s protege and is allegedly being pushed forward by his inner circle. Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, who is Long-Bailey’s flatmate, has decided to run for deputy to give her a clean shot. Long-Bailey’s campaign would have the weight of big-hitting party associates behind it, including Momentum’s Jon Lansman and the Unite boss, Len McCluskey.

Lisa Nandy: She hasn’t declared, nor has she ruled herself out. Yet from the very first few days after the election she was touted as contender, and she is conducting a large “listening” exercise, visiting seats where Labour lost. On Monday she visited Ashfield, which was lost to the Tories after decades in Labour hands. Her pitch focuses on revitalising towns. The number of think pieces and public commentary on Labour’s future from Nandy suggests it is reasonable to expect a bid shortly after Christmas.

Keir Starmer: The bookies’ favourite has made significant noises that he is interested in running for leader and is due to launch his campaign properly in the new year. In an interview with the Guardian he said he was “seriously considering” it. The rise in membership of the party is believed to come from moderate remainers and could work in his favour. He is fractionally ahead of Long-Bailey in terms of odds, making her his most significant rival. Starmer has pledged that Labour would return to being a broad church under his leadership, but with radical ideas.

Weighing it up

David Lammy: His bid so far has come in the form of a piece in the Observer where he set out some of the reforms he felt Labour must make to truly speak to Britain. He called for “civic nationalism” to counter what he described as the prime minister’s “ethnic nationalism” and scapegoating of migrants. Christmas will be a time of reflection for the backbencher on whether to run. If he does and gets elected, he would be the party’s first BAME leader.

Jess Phillips: On election night she said “somebody like me could be leader of the Labour party”, which was taken as a sign she was planning a bid. She has been clear that the party needs to talk to members more and has criticised Labour’s self-indulgence in recent years. There is an expectation she will stand and she has made a significant pitch on Twitter for new members to join, but she has said very little concrete on whether there is a campaign in the wings.