VETERAN left-wing MP Jeremy Corbyn has dominated the campaign to be elected Labour leader. Here, we ask prominent south Essex Labour politicians who they are backing?

LABOUR’S defeat in May’s general election has prompted a period of reflection for Labour as it battles to regain ground and elect a leader who can take on the Tories.

There are four candidates seeking election as party leader, including veteran left-winger Jeremy Corbyn, who has so far dominated the campaign.

His rivals to replace Ed Miliband are Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall.

Mr Corbyn has rarely been off the TV news because he has provided the party with a left-wing alternative to other candidates, which some say would take the party back to the failed policies of the 1970s.

Just this weekend, leadership rivals Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall said the veteran leftwinger was trying to “turn the clock back” after he hinted he could re-instate Clause IV, which enshrined “common ownership of the means of production” in the party’s constitution.

The views among south Essex Labour members has been mixed, but surprisingly, with huge hype around Jeremy Corbyn, none of the members we spoke to openly supported him.

Jeremy Corbyn is ahead in the polls. However, the party’s election system means he is unlikely to win and Andy Burnham is the bookies’ favourite.

THE CANDIDATES

ANDY BURNHAM: He has been Labour MP for Leigh in Lancashire since 2001.With plenty of Government experience he is the bookmakers’ favourite.

YVETTE COOPER: Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Yvette Cooper has been shadowHome Secretary for the past four years.

JEREMY CORBYN: The left-wing MP for Islington North entered the contest to get an antiausterity voice into the debate on Labour’s future.

LIZ KENDALL: Shadow health minister Liz Kendall was the first Labour MP to say she was interested in being leader, feeling that a “fundamentally new approach” was needed.

The views amongst South Essex Labour members;

BARONESS ANGELA SMITH Shadow leader of the House of Lords, former Labour MP for Basildon BACKING: WILL NOT SAY.

“I CANNOT say who I am supporting because of my position. I am very happy to work with any of the candidates.

“I know them all well and would work with them all. I think it’s great that we have such an able selection of candidates.

“I do have a preference but I can’t say who that is. Whichever of them gets it I will support, but it’s up to the members and Labour supporters to vote.

“All of the candidates are very committed people. They are all well-liked and all have some support.”

JULIAN WARE-LANE Essex Labour activist and Labour councillor for Milton Waard in Southend BACKIING: LIZ KENDALL.

“I AM backing Liz, and I guess that puts me in the frame of wanting a woman at the top.

“I like the ideals Liz has. She has recognised the scale of Labour’s defeat. The 2010 defeat was awful and 2015 was even worse and she has recognised this and isn’t pretending. We have got to come out and say things and actually address issues and let the public know where we stand on issues like the EU. We have to address people’s fears, especially with the current situation at Calais.

“I think the contest has gone on too long. All the buzz is about Corbyn in many ways. I’m of the opinion that although he brings many ideas to the table he would be the weakest choice. I don’t think he has the broadest appeal of all the candidates. However, a lot of things he supports I would endorse. It’s all about the undecided and getting them on board and I don’t think he can attract those sorts of people.

“The Labour party is selecting a leader who can take us into the general election. It’s not about who we like as members, it’s about the electorate and being pragmatic and able to compromise, we need this if we are going to achieve anything.

“Those that govern are those that can make the change, we can’t do that as opposition.”

IAN GILBERT Labour parliamentry candidate for Rochford and Southend East, deputy leader of Southend Council and chairman of Rochford and Southend East Labour Party. BACKING: ANDY BURNHAM.

 “I AM going to be voting for Andy Burnham. I have been impressed by Andy’s tenacity in defending the principles of a publically managed, publically accountable National Health Service, and I believe he has done most to set out policies which are radical but achievable. I have no doubt that Andy’s policies on such matters as housing, education and railways will be beneficial and popular in Southend.

“For me, this has been a very tough choice between Andy and Yvette Cooper, who has impressed me with a cool, calm and measured campaign.

Personally I do not think Liz Kendall or Jeremy Corbyn have what it takes to unite and lead the Labour party to victory, although I will respect the democratic mandate of the winner, regardless of who it is.

“I think with hindsight we could have adopted a tighter timetable so the new leader can get on with being an effective opposition in parliament.

“We need a leader who the public will see as a credible candidate for Prime Minister, and who can apply the party’s values to the challenges we will face in 2020 rather than seeking to refight previous battles.”

GAVIN CALLAGHAN Leader of Basildon Council's Labour Group. BACKING: ANDY BURNHAM

“IF the General Election has taught the Labour party anything it is that we must have a leader that the public, can relate to and who is able to command their respect on the economy.

“It is the job of the centre-left to inspire hope in the hearts of people all over Essex; to make people believe that when in government, we will govern in the interests of the many. We must recognise that individual success and a desire for a person and their family to thrive, is not selfish but natural.

“This leadership campaign has injected some much-needed realism into the Labour ranks.

Ed Miliband contested the 2015 General Election campaign on a limited strategy with a limited offer that marked out our views on the people at the top and the people at the bottom but said nothing to the people in between. Andy Burnham recognised that.

“He is the comprehensive kid who went to Cambridge and ended up around the cabinet table – not because of who he knew or who he was related to, but because of his own personal brilliance and ability. He is a grafter. Like thousands of people across Essex who want to get on, he is a perfect example of that.

“He is a fearless politician who is driven by a passion to see every person fulfil their potential.”