Labour party rules require any potential leadership challenger to have the backing of 20 per cent of the parliamentary party, writes Bob Sherwood. That means 71 Labour MPs would have to support a candidate for an attempt to oust Tony Blair to go ahead.
Any challenger securing such backing could initiate a contest by writing to Labour's general secretary. The contest would then be decided at the party's autumn conference by an electoral college split equally three ways between MPs, affiliated trade unions and party members, on a "one member, one vote" basis.
