Jeremy Corbyn says he'd bring Ed Miliband back into the shadow cabinet as Energy Secretary

Other candidates risk snubbing former leader however

Ed Miliband could return to front line politics under a Labour party led by Jeremy Corbyn, the leadership contender has said.

Mr Corbyn told LBC Radio that he would like Mr Miliband to take up environment and climate change issues as he had done under the last Labour government.

The other leadership contenders Andy Bunham, Yvette Cooper, and Liz Kendall all refused to be drawn on whether there would be a place for the former leader.

But Mr Corbyn said Mr Miliband had “amazing abilities” on climate and environment issues.

“I would want Ed to be doing what Ed did very well when he was Environment Secretary, dealing with climate change,” he argued.

Mr Miliband was previously Energy Secretary dealing with environmental and climate change issues.

Mr Corbyn, the surprise frontrunner for the Labour leadership, has also pledged to bring back shadow cabinet elections – meaning Mr Miliband would have to be elected.

Mr Miliband has made no statement about whether he would serve in a future Labour government but has made a number of appearances in Parliament since his defeat.

At the point of his resignation he however tweeted: “I will never stop fighting for the Britain I believe in” suggesting he might consider a come back.

The first methodic poll of the Labour leadership campaign conducted earlier this week found that Mr Corbyn was on course to win the contest.

43 per cent of Labour supporters and members polled by YouGov for The Times newspaper said they would vote for Mr Corbyn in the first round of the contest.

Andy Burnham was in second place with 26 per cent, with Yvette Cooper third on 20 per cent. Liz Kendall polled 11 per cent.

In the final round of voting Mr Corbyn would beat Mr Burnham by 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

Though polling such contests is difficult and the survey may not be an entirely accurate picture of the results, the figures do suggest that Mr Corbyn is doing very well.