Jeremy Corbyn declared Britain 'ill' as he launched his bid to be re-elected Labour leader this morning.

The incumbent Labour leader, who is facing a leadership challenge from Owen Smith, said Britain is plagued with five 'social ills' - inequality, neglect, insecurity, prejudice and discrimination.

He put at key gender pay equality pledge at the centre of his pitch this morning, promising to impose fines on firms that employ more than 21 staff but refuse to publish equality pay audits.

Firms would be forced to publish details of pay, grade and hours of every job in a drive to close the gender equality gap under his policy.

Mr Corbyn surrounded himself in female supporters as he arrived for his launch this morning as he sought to highlight his focus on tackling gender inequality.

But he caused more anger with Labour rebels as he threatened to kick them out of the party by confirming every MP would face re-selection when the new parliamentary boundaries come into force in 2018, which will reduce the number of seats from 650 to 600.

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Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in central London) declared Britain 'ill' as he launched his bid to be re-elected Labour leader this morning

The incumbent Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured sitting next to his wife, left, and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rebecca Long-Bailey, right as he prepared to launch his leadership campaign in central London today and right) said Britain is plagued with five 'social ills' - inequality, neglect, insecurity, prejudice and discrimination

He then attempted to reach out to the 172 Labour MPs who signed a vote of no confidence in his leadership by urging them to pool the 'huge amount of talent' on the Labour benches and unite behind him.

'I hold out the hand of friendship to them all,' he said, acknowledging that many MPs 'may not agree with me politically, may not even like me personally' but insisted they had a 'duty' to 'get behind the party' and oppose the Tories.

However Mr Corbyn's focus on inequality in his leadership launch this morning was undermined after he chose to be introduced by Kate Osamor, the Shadow International Development Secretary, who was found to be advertising for an unpaid intern to work in her Edmonton constituency office earlier this year. She blamed it on a 'misunderstanding'.

Mr Corbyn was put in prime position to win the contest after a 180,000-strong surge in activists paid £25 in just 48 hours to have a vote in the contest - a majority of whom are expected to back the left-wing leader.

It raised an astonishing £4.59 million for the Labour party coffers, with a further 380,000 members and trade union affiliated supporters also eligible to vote in the leadership election.

His team are confident that the astonishing number of sign-ups - a rate of more than one a second since the window opened on Monday evening - will sweep him to another convincing victory, with the result announced on the even of Labour's conference on September 24.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said it was 'reasonable to assume' that the large number of new registrations come from supporters of the veteran left-winger.

In last year's leadership election a remarkable 84 per cent of the £3 registered supporters voted for him.

The total electorate for the Labour leadership is a record 571,000 - nearly 17,000 more than last year, although the party must vet the extra sign-ups to ensure they are eligible voters.

Jeremy Corbyn surrounded himself in female supporters as he arrived for his launch along with his wife, pictured walking behind him to the right wearing a white blouse, as he sought to highlight his focus on tackling gender inequality

Jeremy Corbyn was introduced by his Shadow International Development Secretary Kate Osamor, right, who was embroiled in a row earlier this year when it emerged she had advertised for an unpaid intern to work in her Edmonton constituency office

The incumbent Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured arriving with supporters as he arrived at his leadership launch in London, left) is facing a leadership challenge from Owen Smith (right)

Pledging to tackle the 'five ills' of 21st century Britain, Mr Corbyn said this morning: 'If our economy is to thrive it needs to harness the talents of everyone.

'So this is about making our economy stronger, the workplace fairer, reducing the discrimination that holds people back.'

In an echo of the five 'giant evils' identified by William Beveridge in the 1940s, Mr Corbyn said: 'Today what is holding people back above all are inequality, neglect, insecurity, prejudice and discrimination.

CORBYN FORCED TO DOUBLE UP EVEN MORE JOBS IN SHADOW CABINET TO COVER BREXIT BRIEF Labour has announced Emily Thornberry and Barry Gardiner will extend their existing portfolios to shadow the new Brexit and International Trade departments. The appointments add to the roster of Labour shadow cabinet ministers who are doing more than one job, as leader Jeremy Corbyn is constrained in his choice by the fact that 172 of the party's 230 MPs have backed a vote of no confidence in him. A senior spokesman for Mr Corbyn said the Labour leader had neither ruled out nor endorsed proposals for a second EU referendum after the Brexit negotiations are complete. 'That has to be dealt with later,' said the spokesman. 'There needs to be some form of democratic accountability for what is negotiated. People voted in the referendum, but didn't have a clear sense of what package was involved. 'But what form that accountability should take should be settled later.' Advertisement

'In my campaign I want to confront all five of those ills head on, setting out not only how Labour will campaign against these injustices in opposition but also spelling out some of the measures the next Labour government will take to overcome them.'

Announcing his key policy this morning Mr Corbyn said a Labour government would force firms to publish the new equality pay audits 'detailing pay, grade and hours of every job ... alongside data on recognised equality characteristics'.

'Because it is not only women who face workplace discrimination but disabled workers, the youngest and oldest workers, black and ethnic minority workers.

'Young workers are institutionally discriminated against, not entitled to the full minimum wage, not entitled to equal rates of housing benefit and so many are now saddled with huge student debts.'

Vowing that 'we are calling time on discrimination' he committed to fund the Equality and Human Rights Commission to enforce the policy.

By placing the gender equality pledge at the centre of his campaign and highlighting his past as a trade union representative, Mr Corbyn will hope to win over two core voter groups.

The organisation would be responsible for monitoring the policy, taking action to eradicate discrimination and fining employers which do not provide audits.

Mr Corbyn alarmed Labour moderates by confirming that every MP would have to go through the full re-selection process before the next General Election.

It means Constituency Labour parties could replace their sitting MPs with more left-wing candidates for the 2020 election.

Answering questions after his speech today, Mr Corbyn said: 'If this parliament runs to the full term, then the new boundaries will be the basis on which the elections take place and in that case there would be a full selection process in every constituency.

'But the sitting MP for any part or any substantial part of the new boundary would have the opportunity to put their name forward so there will be a full and open selection process for every Constituency Labour Party in the UK.'

Jeremy Corbyn was supported by his wife Laura Alvarez, pictured sat next to him, left, as he prepared to launch his bid to be re-elected Labour leader

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured at his leadership launch) was put in prime position to win the contest after a 180,000-strong surge in activists paid £25 in just 48 hours to have a vote in the contest - a majority of whom are expected to back the left-wing leader

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in central London) declared Britain 'ill' as he launched his bid to be re-elected Labour leader this morning

Urging Labour MPs to unite behind his leadership if he wins a second election, Mr Corbyn said: 'I say to Labour MPs quite simply this: I’ve been in Parliament a very long time, I’ve seen lots of leaders, I’ve seen them come and I’ve seen them go.

'There is a huge amount of talent on the Labour benches.

'We are part of – but not the entirety – of the Labour party movement and I hope those that may not agree with me politically, may not even like me personally – I find that hard to believe but there are some people who don’t like me – I hold out the hand of friendship to them all.

'Because, come September, when this election is done and dusted, there will still be a Tory government in office, there will still be grotesque levels of inequality in our society, there will still be whole parts of this country that are left behind Britain.

'It’s the job, it’s the duty, it’s the responsibility of every Labour MP to get behind the party at that point and put it there against the Tories about the different, fairer, kinder Britain that we can build together.'

‘And I appeal to them to work together to put that case forward because we owe it to the people that founded this party, that support this party, the half million who give their money and their time to help this party survive and strengthen and grow the kind of better society we can put forward.

‘I hope they will recognise that and come on board. I say to Labour MPs quite simply this: I’ve been in Parliament a very long time, I’ve seen lots of leaders, I’ve seen them come and I’ve seen them go.'

But he came under fire after after he launched a tirade against medical research being 'farmed out to big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer' and said research should instead be funded through the publicly-funded Medical Research Council.

Mr Corbyn was immediately ridiculed by the body representing the pharmaceutical industry.

'Clearly the taxpayer could not replace the world-wide investment made by industry in researching new medicines,' the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said in a statement.

The extra 183,541 sign-ups for the leadership election was helped by a host of celebrities who backed the Saving Labour campaign that urged people to pay the £25 to vote out Mr Corbyn as leader.

The party's ruling National Executive Committee ruled earlier this month that only party members who signed up before January 12 this year would be given a vote.

The decision was controversial and led to the rival campaigns desperately trying to persuade people to pay the £25 for registered supporter status, which gives them a one-off vote in the leadership election.

In total, a massive 183,541 people applied for the registered supporter status, paying £25 each and raising £4,588,525 for the party.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said earlier that it was 'reasonable to assume' that the majority of the new registrations come from supporters of the veteran left-winger.

Labour confirmed that Mr Corbyn and Mr Smith will be the only two candidates on the ballot paper for the postal vote which ends on September 24.

By the deadline of 5pm today, Mr Smith had secured the nominations of 162 Labour MPs - more than 70 per cent of the party's representation in the House of Commons - as well as 10 MEPs. Among his nominators were former rival Angela Eagle, who withdrew from the race on Tuesday, and ex-leader Ed Miliband.

The ruling National Executive Committee decided that Mr Corbyn, as incumbent leader, was not required to meet the threshold of 51 nominations to stand.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured alongside his Shadow International Development Secretary Kate Osamor) pledged to cure Britain's 'five ills' of inequality, neglect, insecurity, prejudice and discrimination as he launched his bid to be re-elected Labour leader

JK Rowling (pictured) is among a growing list of celebrities who have joined the Saving Labour campaign urging people to pay £25 to vote out Jeremy Corbyn as leader

The party is undertaking a process of vetting the applications for duplicates or people who do not share Labour's values before ballot papers are sent out.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling, along with EastEnders actor Ross Kemp, comedian Robert Webb and actor Jason Isaacs were part of the last-ditch attempt to sign up as many people as possible to outweigh thousands of left-wing supporters of Mr Corbyn in the leadership election.

Labour's ruling National Executive Committee controversially ruled earlier this month that new party members who registered in the last six months would be barred from having a vote in the contest.

Ross Kemp featured in a video posted to Twitter in which he called Labour 'weak in opposition'. He said the party showed 'no fight to remain in the EU' and most cuttingly stated it was 'overseen by a man on the sidelines.'

During the 30 second clip, which appeared on the @saving_labour Twitter account, he accused Mr Corbyn of standing and watching as the country was 'slowly pulled apart.'

JK Rowling also lashed out at Mr Corbyn's leadership, saying she wanted a 'decent opposition'.

She and other showbusiness figures are backing the 'unity candidate' Owen Smith, who is challenging Mr Corbyn for the leadership after Angela Eagle dropped out of the race last night to maximise the chance of ousting the Labour leader.

The Saving Labour campaign has branded itself the true 'people's party' that represents the 'broad sweep of moderate, mainstream Labour opinion and values'.

Other celebrities backing the campaign include author Robert Harris, food critic Jay Rayner and New Tricks star Tracy Ann Oberman.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) has won his bid to personally fight legal action against attempts by a major Labour donor to kick him off the ballot paper in the party's leadership election

There is also a legal attempt to kick Mr Corbyn off the leadership election ballot paper, but it is unlikely to succeed in stopping his bid to be re-elected.

But this morning the embattled Labour leader won his bid to personally fight legal action against attempts from major Labour Michael Foster.

A High Court claim brought by Mr Foster, a former parliamentary candidate who has given Labour more than £400,000 since 2010, is suing the party's governing National Executive Committee (NEC) over its decision to guarantee Mr Corbyn a place on the leadership ballot.

The NEC voted against arguments from Labour moderates that the incumbent leader must secure 51 nominations to get onto the ballot paper - as leadership challengers must do.

Today's decision allows Mr Corbyn to be a co-defendant in the court case.

He wanted to be added as a second defendant to strengthen his defence amid fears that the official defendant - General Secretary Iain McNicol - would not put up a sufficiently tough defence.

His application was heard by Master Victoria McCloud at a preliminary hearing at the High Court in London on Tuesday, and this morning the court granted Mr Corbyn the right to be added to the defence.

Explaining the case for Mr Corbyn being personally added to the defence proceedings, his application stated: 'His personal interest in the subject matter of this litigation is pressing and obvious and distinguishes him from the general body of members represented by Mr McNicol.'

The case, which is expected to be aired fully on July 26, follows the decision of the NEC that the leader should automatically be included in the contest.

NEC members wrestled with legal advice for six hours over whether Mr Corbyn would need to secure 51 nominations to make it on to the ballot paper after both sides insisted the party rulebook backed their case.

The written document before the court also says that Mr Foster's legal action 'seeks, in effect, to reverse this decision so that Mr Corbyn will not be eligible to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming leadership election unless he secures the requisite number of nominations in the time limited by the rules'.

Ross Kemp featured in a video posted to Twitter in which he called Labour 'weak in opposition' under Mr Corbyn's leadership