And then there were five...

A one minute silence for the Cumbrian people marked the start of a sombre PMQs today. Nothing of great significance to report from the questioning, as the real drama was going on behind the scenes. 

Diane Abbot's campaign for nomination received a much needed boost this morning, with John McDonnell pulling out of the race. Paul Waugh has an excellent account of how Diane achieved the 33 required nominations at the very last moment. 

So, we now have five Labour leadership candidates: 

• Rt Hon David Milliband MP
• Rt Hon Ed Milliband MP
• Rt Hon Ed Balls MP
• Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP
• Diane Abbott MP

Four of which are former special advisers and government ministers, with distinct policy differences yet to be exposed, it should make for an interesting few months of debate.  

Key dates for your calendar: 

Wednesday 8 September: Freeze date for new members to join the Labour Party and be eligible to vote in the leadership election.
Wednesday 22 September: Balloting closes.
Saturday 25 September: Announcement of ballot result.
Sunday 26 September: Labour Conference begins.