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Labour is expected to be chose a new general secretary later following a meeting of the party's ruling body.

Six candidates have been shortlisted for the key post, with the leadership thought to favour David Evans, who worked for the party under Tony Blair.

But several unions are believed to want someone from the left of the party.

Other candidates include Andrew Fisher, who used to work for Jeremy Corbyn and Karin Christiansen, a former general secretary of the Co-operative Party.

The party's National Executive Committee is expected to decide who will succeed Jennie Formby as the party's most senior official later.

Ms Formby is leaving the role by "mutual consent" after Sir Keir Starmer's election as leader last month.

The choice of her successor is seen as a crucial step in Sir Keir's attempts to unify the party after December's heavy election defeat and years of factional in-fighting.

Allies of the new leader have a slim majority on the NEC after elections last month.

But the committee, which is made up of MPs and other elected officials, trade unionists and representatives of local parties, remains finely balanced, after years in which it was dominated by supporters of ex-leader Mr Corbyn.

Mr Evans is regarded as the frontrunner in the contest, with his backers including Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir's chief of staff.

As assistant general secretary of the party between 1999 and 2001, he played a leading role in the party's landslide victory in the 2001 election.

But some union leaders say Mr Evans, who subsequently left to found a political research and consulting company, is a polarising figure who has historically sought to reduce the influence of the left.

His rivals include Andrew Fisher, who worked as head of policy for Mr Corbyn and was a central figure in producing the 2017 and 2019 manifestos.

While associated with the left, Mr Fisher was highly critical about how the party was run under Mr Corbyn and was an early backer of Sir Keir's in the leadership contest earlier this year.

The three other shortlisted candidates are Byron Taylor, the former head of the Labour group on Basildon Council, former MEP Neena Gill and Amanda Martin, president of the National Education Union.

Whoever is chosen will be responsible for responding to the findings of an inquiry by the equalities watchdog into Labour's handling of anti-Semitism cases within the party.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission's report is due to be published soon, with Sir Keir having already committed to accepting its recommendations and setting up an independent complaints process.