A preview of the Deputy Leader election. The Labour party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet on 8 September to decide on the internal election to replace Angela Rayner as deputy leader.

A letter from General Secretary Hollie Ridley makes it look unlikely that the NEC will move at Labour conference to abolish the position instead.

Candidates for deputy leader need nominations from 20% of the PLP, i.e. from 80 MPs. We hear that the left MPs of the Socialist Campaign Group think it unlikely they can get enough outside support to have one of their own nominated, though there is talk of Rebecca Long-Bailey trying.

The left MPs may end up backing some sort-of-soft-left candidate, though they will be aware of the risk that one of those, if elected, will replicate the “left cover” role of Rayner with Starmer or Prescott with Blair. The deputy leader post carries no powers other than a place on the NEC.

According to Labour List, the “Starmer” candidates for deputy could be one of Shabana Mahmood, David Lammy, Wes Streeting, Bridget Phillipson, Peter Kyle, or Steve Reed

Slightly-dissident names mentioned by Labour List include Rosena Allin-Khan, Louise Haigh and Emily Thornberry.

Votes are cast in a single section made up of party members and affiliated supporters and are counted on the basis of one member, one vote. The election takes place with a preferential ballot.

If no candidate secures more than half of first preference votes, a redistribution of votes occurs until a candidate is elected.

Richard Burgon has a good Facebook post on what a deputy leader should do: here. Whether the next one will do that is a different matter, but Burgon explains what we should demand of them.

And Clive Lewis has a post on the sad story of Angela Rayner.