A self-proclaimed Stalinist has been appointed by Labour leader frontrunner Rebecca Long-Bailey to help run her campaign.

Alex Halligan was the mastermind behind Jeremy Corbyn's successful leadership bid in 2015 and is a well-known organiser within Momentum and Unite.

Mr Halligan, who is in his thirties, was pictured in 2017 wearing a badge with the words 'Good night Trotskyite' and an image of a man wielding an ice pick at another man, a reference to the assassination of Leon Trotsky.

It is believed that the move has not been well-received by shadow chancellor John McDonnell.

Alex Halligan (right) was the mastermind behind Jeremy Corbyn's successful leadership bid in 2015 and is a well-known organiser within Momentum and Unite

Mr McDonnell reportedly now wants to have no more involvement in the leadership election, despite Ms Long-Bailey, 40, being widely viewed as his protégée.

One Labour source told The Times newspaper: 'Stalinists should have no place in the Labour Party.

'The fact that this man has worn a Stalinist badge in public will be of concern to Labour members. Rebecca Long Bailey must reassess who is advising her, to reassure members that she is not simply a continuity candidate.'

Ms Long-Bailey, the daughter of a Salford docker, was an NHS solicitor before entering politics.

She is expected to formally throw her hat in the ring for Labour leadership in the early new year, most likely alongside Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy.

So far only shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow Treasury minister Clive Lewis have officially declared their running for leadership.

Rebecca Long-Bailey stands beside Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (File image). Salford & Eccles MP Ms Long-Bailey, a married mother-of-one, is believed to have the backing of Mr Corbyn and is viewed by many in the party as the continuity candidate who would carry on along the same policy lines as the outgoing leader

Salford & Eccles MP Ms Long-Bailey, a married mother-of-one, is believed to have the backing of Mr Corbyn and is viewed by many in the party as the continuity candidate who would carry on along the same policy lines as the outgoing leader.

Frequently deployed on media, the 40-year-old's career has been pushed by shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who has long tipped her as a future leader.

She is expected to portray herself as the torchbearer for Jeremy Corbyn's legacy, and will be boosted if the pact with close friend Angela Rayner - potentially a rival - is confirmed. Given Labour's dire need to reconnect with its traditional heartlands, her northern constituency and accent will also be selling points.

Earlier this month, top shadow ministers Rebecca Long-Bailey and Angela Rayner formed a 'dream ticket' partnership. Ms Long-Bailey and Ms Rayner, firm friends and Westminster flatmates, agreed a deal that would see the former run for the top job, and the latter for deputy after Mr Corbyn steps down early next year.