Labour leadership: Landslide Corbyn victory looks certain after MP secures 80 per cent in polls following final debate

The leadership hopefuls have debated for the final time

Jeremy Corbyn looks set to secure a landslide victory in the Labour leadership race, as a Sky News poll following the final debate in the election saw him storming ahead with more than 80 per cent of the vote.

The MP for Islington North battled it out against rivals Liz Kendall, Yvette Cooper, and Andy Burnham, during the hustings at the Sage in Gateshead, as the race entered the final furlong.

When the debate closed, Corbyn had secured 80.6 per cent, followed by a dismal showing of 9.1 for Kendall, 5.7 for Cooper, with former front-runner Burnham scoring the lowest with 4.6 per cent, according to Sky News.

The pressure on European politicians to solve the refugee crisis, which intensified after an image of a drowned three-year-old Syrian boy emerged on Wednesday, was among the topics potential leaders were asked to address.

The candidates agreed that Prime Minister David Cameron was not doing enough to respond to the mounting criris, but were less clear over the number of refugees which the country should welcome.

Mr Corbyn said that accepting 4,000 additional refugees "doesn't seem like enough".

“We have to hold out the hand of humanity and support and friendship... Every European country should do its best. Germany has shown the way," he said.

His sentiment was mirrored by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who has in the past suggested that the UK should accept 10,000 refugees.

"Other countries are doing their best. We have got to do more as well."

Liz Kendall said she was “ashamed” of the “heartless and powerless” approach of the Prime Minister, saying Britain should be taking “something in the tens of thousands.”

Andy Burnham - who is calling on the Government to present a plan for debate in the House of Commons on Monday - said the PM should be entering immediate talks with his EU counterparts on a deal to tackle the migration problem.

More to follow

Additional reporting by PA