Before Labour’s National Executive Committee had even finalised the timetable to replace Angela Rayner as the party’s deputy leader on Monday lunchtime, candidates were hitting the phones.

They were gauging whether they had the support of the 80 colleagues in Parliament they need to launch a bid. It’s a contest that’s gearing up to be a pronouncement on Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, with allegiance a key dividing line. Two types of candidates are already presenting themselves: backbench disruptors and ministerial loyalists.

According to multiple Labour MPs, those taking soundings on Monday included Dame Emily Thornberry, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, who, while criticising Starmer on Sunday, said she was considering a tilt. Elsewhere, Lucy Powell, fired from Cabinet on F

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