BASINGSTOKE'S Labour party have announced their nomination for the next Labour leader and deputy leader.

The party is currently in the process of electing its next leader, after Jeremy Corbyn resigned following his party's defeat at the general election last year.

Local Labour parties in the UK's 650 constituencies have been voting for their nominations - with Basingstoke choosing Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner as their picks.

It comes after they held a hustings of members on Wednesday, February 12, to debate over the choice. The party say there was "much appreciation shown for all candidates", with Keir Starmer emerging "a clear winner" for the new-Labour leader.

Local party chair, Councillor Kim Taylor, said: “I’d like to thank all the members for their very valuable contributions during the husting.

"With the continuing lack of effective leadership in the Tory Party, who already seem to be rowing back on election promises there has never been a clearer need for a strong opposition.

"There are real issues that need to be tackled in Basingstoke like our housing crisis, low wages and child poverty rates of nearly 25%.

"That is why we need a Labour government and that is why Keir Starmer is Basingstoke Labour’s choice for Labour leader.”

Labour members will soon be voting for their preferred leader, with a ballot opening on Friday and closing on Thursday, April 2.

Starmer is currently battling Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey for the top job, after Jess Phillips withdrew from the race and Emily Thornberry was eliminated after not receiving enough support.

The former shadow Brexit secretary has 370 nominations from across the party, with Rebecca Long-Bailey in second on 160.

Both Labour parties in North East and North West Hampshire also supported Starmer.

Angela Rayner is up against Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler and Ian Murray for the number two job.

Rayner has 363 nominations - almost 4.5 times the number of nominations given to next highest candidate Dawn Butler.

Candidates must receive the nomination of 33 local associations or eight affiliated groups. Thornberry had 31 association nominations when she was eliminated.

She tweeted that it was a "shame to miss out on the rest of the race, but good luck to the three superb remaining candidates".

She said she and her campaign team "gave it everything".

"I'll have a week of rest now, then it's back to the day job of holding this wretched Tory government to account on its foreign policy, and doing so with the same passion, tenacity and forensic skill I've shown for four years in that role," she added.