Labour MPs in Sussex have thrown their weight behind Gordon Brown to become the next Labour Party leader - and Prime Minister.

But the five MPs are divided over who would make the best deputy.

On June 24, when Mr Brown will almost certainly be crowned leader, the party will also reveal who will succeed John Prescott, who has served as Tony Blair's number two for the past ten years.

While it looks like Mr Brown may not face a challenger - leading some to describe the leadership election as a coronation - the contest for deputy is crowded, with six candidates battling for MPs' support.

They are cabinet ministers Hilary Benn, Peter Hain, Alan Johnson and Hazel Blears, former minister Harriet Harman and leftwinger Jon Cruddas.

Two Sussex MPs - Hove's Celia Barlow and Hastings' Michael Foster - are supporting Ms Harman.

Mr Foster, Ms Harman's campaign manager, said the former social security secretary would provide an important balance to Mr Brown.

He said: "She has enormous experience in government and in the party as an active and effective campaigner and can appeal to all sections of the community, from the affluent suburbs to inner city heartlands."

Crawley MP Laura Moffatt is supporting Education Secretary and former postman Alan Johnson, who this week, in a bid for the women's vote, joked that he was "in touch with his feminine side".

Ms Moffatt, who is Mr Johnson's Parliamentary aide, said: "I have got to know him and he has fantastic qualities. He is able to speak to the public, he understands what they are thinking and he has a mind of his own."

Des Turner, MP for Brighton Kemptown, is backing Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland and Wales Secretary and former anti-apartheid campaigner.

Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper is backing International Development Secretary Hilary Benn - son of veteran pipe-smoking leftwinger Tony Benn.

Mr Lepper said: "I am anxious that party members are given the chance to vote for him alongside the other candidates. I'm extremely impressed with his record at the Department for International Development. He would be an excellent partner for Gordon Brown."

Candidates, to stand a chance of winning, must secure 45 nominations from Labour MPs by 12.30pm tomorrow.

So far, Hazel Blears, Jon Cruddas, Peter Hain, Harriet Harman and Alan Johnson have all achieved this target. It leaves Mr Benn scrabbling for support in the final hours.

Candidates who clear the 45-nomination hurdle will face a series of hustings and campaign meetings, where they will seek to win over grassroots members.

The winner will be determined by the results of three equally-weighted ballots - one of MPs and MEPs, one of individual party members and one of affiliated organisations such as trade unions.

The new deputy will be named alongside the new leader at a special conference in Manchester on Sunday June 24. In a departure from previous form, Mr Brown is said to be unlikely to appoint the deputy leader of the party as deputy prime minister. Instead the party deputy will seek to act as a link between party members and government.

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