Diane Abbott, Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan, David Lammy, Gareth Thomas and Christian Wolmar have all made it onto the shortlist in Labour’s selection for next year’s Mayor of London candidate. All six managed to acquire the minimum six CLP nominations needed before today’s interview by selection committee – but rumours emerged on Thursday that the shortlist could be reduced to four or even three names.

It was suggested that those with the least nominations, Thomas, Wolmar and Abbott, could miss out on the ballot if they did not impress at the interview stage. This attracted criticism from those who wanted to see a wider debate about what Labour should offer next year, including from Sadiq Khan, Tessa Jowell and David Lammy.

Public hustings will shortly begin in the contest, which will take place as a primary, with the timetable closely mirroring that for the leadership and deputy leadership contests. Ballots will be sent out in mid-August and the candidate will be announced on the 13th September.

Acting leader Harriet Harman said:

“The Mayor has let down London for too long. We need a Labour mayor in City Hall to stand up for the interests of all Londoners, from Richmond to Redbridge and from Barnet to Bromley.

“But it won’t just be Labour’s members who choose our candidate. As with our Leader and Deputy Leader elections, we will let the public in. Hustings events will be open to the public to come and hear from the candidates, and anybody resident in London who supports the Labour Party can register to vote for who they want to see as the next Labour Mayor.

“Labour’s Mayoral candidate will lead the fightback against the Tories on behalf of Londoners. Who we choose is crucial — and a decision that I want everybody to be involved in making.”