Labour candidates arrive at conference

The five candidates for the Labour leadership have arrived in Manchester to learn who has been elected successor to Gordon Brown.

After a gruelling four-month campaign, the name of the new leader will be unveiled later at the Manchester Central conference centre, where Labour's annual conference begins tomorrow.

Brothers David and Ed Miliband, shadow education secretary Ed Balls, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham and backbencher Diane Abbott are in the race to replace Mr Brown, who quit after taking Labour to defeat in the general election.

Observers believe the contest is a two-horse race between the Miliband brothers with the result too close to call, though bookmakers installed Ed as a last-minute favourite overnight after weeks in which David has led the field.

But as he left his London home to travel to Manchester for the declaration this morning, David Miliband said speculation that his brother had won should be taken with "a very large skip of salt".

The shadow foreign secretary insisted he could work under his sibling's leadership, and joked that they would enjoy "more than a pint" whatever the result.

"We're all absolutely determined to make sure that we provide the best conceivable opposition but also an alternative Government for Britain," he told ITV News.

David Miliband said he was glad that the brothers' "poor mum" Marion had got through the ordeal of seeing her two sons take one another on to lead the party of which she too is a member. "I think that she's survived, so that's good - as we all have," he joked.

Asked about his chances as he arrived at the conference centre, Ed Miliband said: "I am confident about my campaign. No-one knows what the result is going to be. I am not going to start to trust the bookies now."

He added said that the priority for Labour was "to unite as a party and move forward and to be a credible opposition. I will do that if I am the leader".

Mr Burnham joked about his own hopes, saying it had been "the week of the underdog" in football's Carling Cup - which saw his team Everton crash out to lower-league Brentford.