LABOUR LEADERSHIP - Is it me or is the media missing a trick?

I have phoned the Labour Party's Compliance Unit a couple of times to clarify the rules regarding Labour leadership nomination papers.

I was told that nominations will only go out to Labour MPs if 20 percent of them (i.e. 71 MPs) request nomination papers. Interestingly, and contrary to how the media is reporting the issue, I was told that at the time of their request the MPs have to make clear which candidate they are backing. The reason for this is that nomination papers do not just go out when 71 MPs request them, BUT when 71 MPs back a single candidate.

On the face of it, there is no ‘candidate’. The media have not reported the rebel MPs backing a single candidate, since the story broke just over a week ago. The reporting has been about them trying to trigger a contest in a general sense, hence all the editorials about 'rebels without a cause'.

However, as there have been Labour MPs which have requested nomination papers from the general secretary, as was confirmed to me by the legal/compliance section of the Labour Party, then surely it follows that they will have had to have nominated a candidate at the same time.

If this is true then a ‘candidate’ must exist – whether the mysterious leadership candidate is behind the plot or not.

When I put this to the Complaince Unit, I was told they couldn’t discuss what the MPs had written in their letters to the general secretary, but they admitted they were interesting questions.

Indeed, so why are the media not asking the key questions: Who are the MPs nominating? Are they nominating the same person? If so, is it organised – a 'limited' coup? And does that person know they are being nominated?

Over to you Nick Robinson, et al...