17:46

Usdaw, the shopworkers’ union, has nominated Sir Keir Starmer for Labour leader. With Unison and Sera, the Labour environment campaign, also backing him, this means that he has got enough affiliate nominations to be guaranteed a place on the final ballot. He is the first of the five candidates left in the contest to clear this hurdle.

In practice candidates can only clear the affiliates nominations hurdle with support from one of five big unions: Unite, Unison, GMB, Usdaw and CWU. Unite is expected to back Rebecca Long-Bailey, and the GMB is expected to back Lisa Nandy. If that does happen, that would mean Jess Phillips and Emily Thornberry (neither of whom are likely to get the backing of the leftwing CWU) would only be able to make it onto the final ballot by getting nominations from 5% of constituency Labour parties (33 of them) - something they may struggle to do.

Usdaw is also nominating Angela Rayner for the deputy leadership.

Commenting on the decision, Paddy Lillis, Usdaws’s general secretary, said:

Usdaw believes that Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner are the right leadership team to unite and rebuild Labour after a devastating election loss. Our members desperately need Labour in power, they cannot afford another decade of Conservative governments attacking workers’ rights, incomes and public services. The Labour party must be led by someone who can persuade voters that they have what it takes to be a prime minister and we are a government in waiting. That is at the heart of Usdaw’s decision to make these nominations.

That’s all from me for today.

My colleague Kevin Rawlinson is taking over now.