Voting starts Monday to decide if veteran leftist Jeremy Corbyn will remain leader of Britain's Labour party, with an ill-tempered campaign deepening divisions that threaten the party's future. Ballots and online voting forms were being sent to party members, who have until September 21 to decide whether to replace Corbyn with MP Owen Smith, previously little known outside parliament.
Corbyn, 67, is favourite and retains the backing of most trade unions and many grassroots supporters who signed up last year to propel him to a shock leadership election win. But he has failed to win over many of the party's MPs, 80 percent of whom backed a recent vote of no-confidence in Corbyn.
Britain's vote on June 23 to leave the European Union provided the catalyst for the leadership challenge, with many lawmakers criticising Corbyn's performance during the campaign as lacklustre. London mayor Sadiq Khan and Labour's leader in Scotland, Kezia Dugdale, are among those backing Smith over Corbyn. An estimated 640,000 people will be able to vote in the contest. Membership of Labour has surged since Corbyn became leader, with the party now Britain's biggest by far. The Labour result is to be announced on September 24 at a special conference in Liverpool, north-west England.