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Corbyn Takes 20-Point Lead In Leadership Poll

Corbyn Takes 20-Point Lead In Leadership Poll

A new poll has put Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn almost 20 points ahead of his nearest rival.

The private polling, reported by The Daily Mirror, suggested the left-wing MP is poised to top the ballot with 42% of votes, compared with Yvette Cooper on 22.6%, Andy Burnham on 20% and Liz Kendall on 14%.

After second preferences are distributed, his lead narrows to 51% compared with Ms Cooper on 49%.

Ms Cooper said voting for Jeremy Corbyn would be "condemning our world to a Tory future" and said that Labour must not return "to the 1980s and just be a protest movement".

The results mirror other recent published polls which suggested Mr Corbyn is the favourite to win the leadership contest.

:: Who Is Jeremy Corbyn?

:: Who Is Andy Burnham?

Sky News' Chief Political Correspondent, Jon Craig, said the private polling is significant because it indicates Ms Cooper has overtaken Mr Burnham to take second place.

"We are seeing, perhaps, a bit of a Cooper surge," he said.

"Obviously it is a battle to stop Mr Corbyn, who is ahead.

"But what this poll suggests is that she (Ms Cooper) - not Andy Burnham - might be the person who can stop Mr Corbyn."

:: Who Is Yvette Cooper?

:: Who Is Liz Kendall?

A spokesman for Ms Kendall, who sits in fourth place, questioned the credibility of the results on Tuesday evening, saying: "A poll is something done by a recognised company with data published for all to see.

"This isn't a poll, it's just spin, and rather desperate stuff at that."

Before the poll was released, Mr Corbyn said that if elected leader, half of his shadow cabinet would be made up of women .

He made the comment as he launched his Working With Women gender equality policy.

However, Ms Cooper and Ms Kendall have both ruled themselves out of serving in a Corbyn-led shadow cabinet.

Leadership ballot papers are due to be sent out in mid-August, with the result announced on September 12.