Leadership race hots up...

Lobbydog understands that Ed Balls will launch his leadership campaign tomorrow.

I was wondering what was taking him so long.

Before I’d heard the most recent whispers about tomorrow’s launch, several people had been enthusiastically pledging support to his cause.

They included former minister Chris Leslie – the man who ran Gordon Brown’s campaign to be Labour leader.

Leslie, former MP for Shipley, was re-elected to Parliament as the MP for Nottingham East on May 6.

He told me: “The reason why Ed Balls has the edge is that I think he has a better sense, a finger on the pulse if you like, of what’s going on in the country at large.”

“There are several things you need to be a leader – one is to be media savvy, another is that you need to be able to perform in the Commons.

“But crucially you need to be able to connect with people north of Watford.”