Keir Starmer under pressure to urgently suspend deputy Labour leadership contest amid demands for full review

Lord Blunkett, who also questioned how the role is any different to Labour Party chair, later admitted that internal divisions had made the contest difficult to hold.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Blunkett said: Well, my reaction on Sunday night, and I did ring up people and say: ‘Couldn’t we get out of this? Can’t we actually postpone?’

“I suggested suspending the deputy leadership campaign for a full review of what the post is all about when we’re in government. What is the job description? How does it differ from party chair? What are the two different roles here that we’re seeking to achieve?

“So, I’m slightly bewildered as to why there wasn’t a pause, negotiations with both the parliamentary party and the trade unions over a review, and then coming back in the future with a thought-through policy of what is this job for?”

He added: “I’ve been a member of the Labour Party for over 60 years, it always loves internalising, it always loves the internal campaign against each other. And we’ve really got to get off it.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, former Commons leader Lucy Powell, ex-trade envoy Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Foreign Affairs Chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry, Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker and Local Government Minister Alison McGovern have all entered the race.

The contest was called after Angela Rayner resigned from post over a £40,000 stamp duty row.

Sir Keir acted almost immediately to reshuffle his Cabinet, placing former Foreign Secretary as Ms Rayner’s replacement as Deputy Prime Minister.

Steve Reed was also brought in to fill Ms Rayner’s shoes as Housing Secretary.

However, Labour’s constitution requires a democratically elected deputy leader of the party.

Labour MPs will quiz the six MPs standing to succeed Ms Rayner in a PLP hustings tonight.

Ms Phillipson goes into the hustings as the frontrunner, with 44 MPs backing the Education Secretary’s bid.

Ms Powell, who was sacked from Sir Keir’s Cabinet last week, is in second on 35, with Ms Ribeiro-Addy, Dame Emily, Ms Barker and Ms McGovern on single-digit support.

However, Ms Barker has echoed hard-left concerns about the deputy leadership process.

She told Times Radio: “We have a very, very narrow window of opportunity.

“That is remiss of the party and I would hope that, no matter who the deputy leader is at the end of this process, one of the first things they do is look at our internal processes. There is definitely a need for a culture shift – the party must be far more inclusive.”

Ms Barker also criticised the decision to hold the only hustings online as many MPs travel back to their constituencies.

“We are on a one-line whip on Thursday which means that we don’t have to be in Parliament. So lots of colleagues will be travelling back to their constituencies at the time the hustings is taking place,” the Labour MP added.

“I really don’t think that that is the best democratic way for us to run this contest.”

Meanwhile, top Tories have claimed that Ms Phillipson has received Sir Keir’s backing.

Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake, who previously faced-off against Ms Rayner as Shadow Housing Secretary, said: “Starmer’s choice for deputy is clear – Bridget Phillipson.

“The candidate of the unions, not the children. She’s dismantling decades of progress that made English schools world-leading.”

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott added: “The only consistent strand of this Labour Government is that union demands come ahead of the needs of the country.

“Phillipson’s education vandalism, sponsored by the unions, was never about children it was about pleasing her backers and her leadership ambitions.”