IAN LAVERY and John Trickett were named among the favourites to become the left candidate in the Labour leadership race yesterday.

Former National Union of Mineworkers leader Ian Lavery is a respected backbencher, while Mr Trickett has been reappointed to Labour’s shadow cabinet by acting leader Harriet Harman.

The pair were named by sources on Labour’s left after John McDonnell ruled himself out of a third attempt to stand for Labour’s leadership live on the BBC.

Mr McDonnell, who chairs Labour’s Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, also told the BBC he would not vote if there was not a left-wing candidate.

Changes to Labour’s rules last year raised the number of nominations needed from 12.5 per cent of MPs to 15 per cent.

That means any candidate would need the support of at least 35 MPs to stand.

Mr McDonnell twice failed to attract the necessary support to take part in the contest and some members were concerned the new rules would prevent a left candidate contesting the leadership in the future.

But leading figures on Labour’s left yesterday expressed confidence that their candidate could attract the necessary support.

Jeremy Corbyn told the Star: “I think it’s essential that there is a left anti-austerity candidate in the leadership election.

“Looking at the MPs that are there and the new ones that have been elected, it’s possible.

“We’re having a discussion about who it’s going to be.”

Mr Corbyn is among MPs who will attend a meeting of the Left Platform in London tonight to discuss who should stand in the contest and on what platform.

Only Blairite shadow health minister Liz Kendall has declared that she will definitely stand in the election.

A raft of MPs linked to Labour’s right-wing Progress faction, including Chuka Umunna, Tristram Hunt and Yvette Cooper, are also expected to take part.

Campaign for Labour Party Democracy spokesman John Landsman said it was “strange” that the Blairites had not rallied around one candidate.

But he admitted the left had not prepared for a leadership contest because they believed Labour could win the election.

“We were talking about this six months ago but we were lulled into a false sense of security by a wave of optimism,” he said.

• Labour’s membership has soared since the election, rising by more than 20,000 to 221,247.