AFTER SMITH / 1: Labour: How it works

THIS will be the first time Labour has chosen its leader under the new 'one member, one vote' system. Electoral college votes are divided into three sections:

One-third goes to Labour MPs and MEPs.

One-third goes to the 250,000 individual members of the constituency parties, who will participate in a national ballot.

One-third goes to the trade unions and affiliated associations, which will hold independently supervised postal ballots of their members who pay the political levy.

In all, around 4.5 million people will be entitled to vote, and a turnout in excess of 50 per cent is expected. It will be the biggest exercise in party democracy in British political history - a point that Labour will capitalise upon.

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