Who Will Win? The Labour Leadership Candidates And Their Policy Positions

The Labour leadership race is hotting up.

With Jeremy Corbyn turning from rank outsider to frontrunner, it’s completely split the party.

And the battle shows no signs of cooling down, as it enters the final phase with a final result due on September 12.

Here are the four candidates who are seeking to replace Ed Miliband - alongside a handy fact file on where they each stand on key issues.

THE CANDIDATES:

Andy Burnham, 45. MP for Leigh since 2001. Former health secretary, culture secretary and Treasury chief secretary. Current shadow health secretary.

Yvette Cooper, 46. MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. Former work and pensions secretary and Treasury chief secretary. Current shadow home secretary.

Jeremy Corbyn, 66. MP for Islington North since 1983. Chairman of the Stop The War coalition since 2001.

Liz Kendall, 44. MP for Leicester West since 2010. Current shadow care minister.

WHERE DO THEY STAND ON JOBS?

Andy Burnham: Abolish youth rate for minimum wage, ban forced zero-hours contracts and unpaid internships, establish “true living wage” for all ages.

Jeremy Corbyn: Introduce £10 living wage for all workers, equalise Jobseekers Allowance for all ages, ban zero-hour contracts and weekly minimum for hours on contracts.

Yvette Cooper: Living wage for social care workers, create two million high skilled manufacturing jobs.

Liz Kendall: Help build a “living wage society” by extending remit of low pay commission, allow online ballots for strikes, restore tax credits and boost public sector pay, boost wages for carers.

TRANSPORT AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

Andy Burnham: Renationalise railways and re-introduce regulation of buses; moratorium on fracking and investment in “the green economy”.

Jeremy Corbyn: Renationalise railways; re-introduce public ownership of energy companies.

Yvette Cooper: Ensure economic growth does not increase climate change, build more “ecotowns”, develop carbon capture and storage.

Liz Kendall: Take “serious action” on climate change and increase the number of green jobs.

Corbyn (right) is the current favourite (picture credit: REX)

HEALTH AND EDUCATION:

Andy Burnham: Establish National Health and Care Service, bringing social care into NHS; replace tuition fees with graduate tax, “reject growing market” of free schools and academies.

Jeremy Corbyn: An NHS with integrated social care and an end to privatisation; scrap tuition fees, restore student grants and Education Maintenance Allowance, create National Education Service.

Yvette Cooper: Integrate health and social care, create “buffer zones” around abortion clinics to stop anti-abortion protests; a “revolution” in vocational education and supporting more technical colleges.

Liz Kendall: Acknowledges role for private sector in NHS, give people the right to choose their own carer, improve care for those with learning disabilities; extend early years education by reversing the inheritance tax cut, reinstate support for poorer students.

Liz Kendall at the Labour Party leadership hustings in Warrington in July

HOUSING:

Andy Burnham: Better regulation of private rented sector, allow councils to borrow more to build new homes, create National Housing Commission.

Jeremy Corbyn: Establish Living Rent Commission to implement rent controls and cap rent increases in the private sector; “decent homes for all” by 2025.

Yvette Cooper: Build 300,000 houses every year - a 100,000 increase on current targets.

Liz Kendall: Build 200,000 homes a year by 2020, ban letting agents fees, introduce a register of private landlords.

Andy Burnham was the initial favourite in the contest

ECONOMY AND BENEFITS:

Andy Burnham: A “re-balanced tax system” to reduce deficit and run a sustainable economy, defend tax credits and oppose government’s Welfare Bill.

Jeremy Corbyn: A national investment bank, increase corporation tax, higher taxes for the richest.

Yvette Cooper: Increase public and private investment in research and development to 3% of GDP, universal childcare, create a welfare reform commission, denies Labour spent too much in government.

Liz Kendall: Aim for economic surplus, scrap the work programme and give councils the power to provide alternatives.

Yvette Cooper at the leadership hustings

EU AND FOREIGN POLICY:

Andy Burnham: Support UK’s membership of the European Union but oppose attempts to weaken employment rights guaranteed by EU law.

Jeremy Corbyn: Scrap Trident and leave Nato; “no more illegal wars”; support the EU but oppose any attempts to curb workers’ rights.

Yvette Cooper: UN intervention and a Europe-wide system to help ease the migrants crisis, more support for community prevention to stop radicalisation

Liz Kendall: Points-based immigration system like Australia, supports Tory plan to restrict benefits for EU migrants.

(all photographs credited to REX)