So, who are the 'moronic MPs' who nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership contest?

John McTernan said the 35 MPs who put Jeremy Corbyn on the ballot paper should be 'ashamed of themselves' after poll puts him on course to win

(Getty)

The MPs who allowed Jeremy Corbyn to enter the Labour leadership contest so the party could "have a debate" are morons, according to a former adviser to Tony Blair.

Mr Corbyn, who is on course to become Labour leader according to the first public poll of those eligible to vote, scraped onto the ballot paper by winning the backing of 35 MPs - the minimum number of nominations needed to enter the race.

Some admitted nominating Mr Corbyn to ensure the contest represented the full spectrum of voices in the party and hoped members would dismiss the crazy views of the left in favour of a more mainstream candidate.

But John McTernan, who advised Mr Blair during his time as Prime Minister, blamed them for the "disastrous" poll, which gave Mr Corbyn an astonishing 17 per cent lead over the second-placed candidate, Andy Burnham.

In a blistering attack, Mr McTernan told BBC Two Newsnight: “The moronic MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn to ‘have a debate’ need their heads felt. They should be ashamed of themselves. They’re morons.”

So who were the 35 MPs?

1. Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
2. Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow
3. Margaret Beckett, MP for Derby South
4. Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East
5. Dawn Butler MP, for Brent Central
6. Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley
7. Sarah Champion, MP for Rotherham
8. Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen
9. Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark
10. Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham
11. Clive Efford, MP for Eltham
12. Frank Field, MP for Birkenhead
13. Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield, Heeley
14. Kelvin Hopkins, MP for Luton North
15. Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton
16. Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East
17. Huw Irranca-Davies, MP for Ogmore
18. Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting
19. David Lammy, MP for Tottenham
20. Clive Lewis MP, for Norwich South
21. Rebecca Long-Bailey, MP for Salford and Eccles
22. Gordon Marsden, MP for Blackpool South
23. John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington
24. Michael Meacher, MP for Oldham West and Royton
25. Grahame Morris, MP for Easington
26. Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Upon Tyne Central
27. Kate Osamor, MP for Edmonton
28. Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn
29. Dennis Skinner, MP for Bolsover
30. Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood
31. Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East
32. Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West
33. Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury
34. Jon Trickett, MP for Hemsworth
35. Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green

Mr McTernan said the damage must be undone by one or two of the three mainstream candidates pulling out of the race to ensure Mr Corbyn does not win and lurch Labour to the left.

“These figures are disastrous for the Labour Party, disastrous. The fact is the other candidates need to decide who is the ABC candidate - the Anyone But Corbyn candidate,” he said.

Attempting to explain why Mr Corbyn was performing so well with Labour party members, he gave a straight-forward answer: "Political parties are full of suicidally inclined activists and clearly some Labour members are suicidally inclined."