Jeremy Corbyn's camp has refused to deny claims that one of his senior allies urged him to quit the Labour leadership race.

One of his own senior supporters argued that the aim of Mr Corbyn entering the race - to ensure the party's left-wing voice was heard - had already been achieved and suggested he should stand aside because he was in danger of winning, according to the BBC.

Mr Corbyn's refused to confirm or deny that the conversation took place. A spokeswoman said: "Jeremy Corbyn is standing to be the next PM. The question is, who will be the Tory candidate?"

Mr Corbyn has had to repeatedly reject claims he does not actually want to be Labour leader and all the stress and media attention that being Leader of the Opposition would attract.

Asked whether he wanted to be Labour leader and Prime Minister in an interview last month, Mr Corbyn gave a less-than-convincing response, saying he would accept the "consequences" of the leadership contest and the subsequent election.

A poll for The Independent earlier this week revealed the uphill battle he faces to win the 2020 election if he is elected leader on Saturday.

Two out of three people believe he would be unlikely to be elected Prime Minister at the election, the OBR poll found, with just 34 per cent thinking he had a chance of taking Labour back into power.

And nearly half - 48 per cent - named his as the candidate most likely to harm the party's chances of winning the 2020 General Election.

Labour leadership: The Contenders Show all 4 1 /4 Labour leadership: The Contenders Labour leadership: The Contenders Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn started off as the rank outsider in the race to replace Ed Miliband and admitted he was only standing to ensure the left of the party was given a voice in the contest. But the Islington North MP, who first entered Parliament in 1983, is now the firm favourite to be elected Labour leader on September 12 after a surge in left-wing supporters signing up for a vote. PA Labour leadership: The Contenders Liz Kendall Liz Kendall has been labelled the Blairite candidate throughout the contest, which partly explains why she has failed to attract the support needed in a party that has drifted even further from the centre-ground of British politics since the election. She has faced criticism over her relative lack of experience, having only served as an MP since 2010 and having no experience of ministerial or shadow cabinet roles. But that very lack of experience allowed her to initially make a pitch as the only candidate offering real change and a real break from the Blair/Brown/Miliband years, until Jeremy Corbyn entered the race and shifted the whole debate to the left. She is set to finish a disappointing fourth. PA Labour leadership: The Contenders Andy Burnham Andy Burnham started out as the front-runner in the leadership election, seen as the candidate of the left until Jeremy Corbyn entered the race. The former Cabinet minister has found himself squeezed between the growing populism of Corbyn’s radical agenda and the moderate, centre-left Yvette Cooper, not knowing which way to turn. It has attracted damaging labels such as ‘flip-flop Andy’, most notably over his response to the Government’s Welfare Bill. He remains hopeful he can win enough second preference votes to take him over the 50 per cent threshold ahead of Corbyn. PA Labour leadership: The Contenders Yvette Cooper.jpg Yvette Cooper has put her experience and achievements in government at the heart of her offer to the Labour party. She played a key part in setting up Sure Start in Tony Blair’s government and has pledged to continue her record on delivering for young families by promising a “revolution in the way families are supported” by introducing universal free childcare. She has also championed her role as a full-time working mother, taking pride in telling audiences that she does the school run for the kids before her day starts as a politician. But she has been criticised for being too wooden and lacking in passion and her attacks on Liz Kendall for “swallowing the Tory manifesto” at the start of the leadership contest have been criticised for helping Jeremy Corbyn brand all three mainstream candidates as ‘Tory-lite’. PA

Asked by Radio 4's World at One programme in August whether he genuinely wanted to be the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Corbyn replied: “I put myself forward in this leadership contest knowing there was difficulty getting on the ballot paper, and I’m grateful to colleagues that nominated me, genuinely so, even though they perhaps weren’t so keen on the process.