LABOUR must “get its act together” after the election of a new leader on Saturday and help fight the UK Government’s attack on trade unions, Frances O’Grady, the TUC General Secretary, has said today.

Ms O’Grady’s plea came as it was claimed that Jeremy Corbyn, the bookies’ favourite to lift the Labour crown, was urged weeks ago by one of his most senior supporters to withdraw from the contest, suggesting the Islington North MP had not entered the Labour contest to win. But the message was rebuffed.

And as there were just hours to go before balloting closes at noon, an internal row broke out with suggestions thousands of party members still had not received their papers.

With the TUC annual conference taking place in Brighton from Sunday - just 24 hours after the new Labour leader will be announced and days before the UK Government’s controversial Trade Union Bill is debated in the Commons - the General Secretary said workers needed Labour to "get stuck in" to oppose the Tories’ proposed legislation, which, among other things, sets thresholds for strike action.

"We are leading one of the most important campaigns unions have ever fought,” she declared. “A growing number of people are starting to realise that this is attempting to roll back liberties British people have taken for granted for generations.

"The Government can expect a sharp response because we are not going to give up without a fight," insisted Ms O’Grady.

But the Department for Business said: "The ability to strike is important but it is only fair that there should be a balance between the interests of union members and the needs of people who depend on their services."

Meantime in an interview with the New Statesman, George Osborne said Labour’s election contest had helped set Labour back a generation.

He said he had "looked on in complete astonishment" during the contest to choose a successor to Ed Miliband as "the whole of the Labour Party moves leftwards, abandoning the centre, and therefore abandoning the working people of this country".

The Chancellor added: “I can’t help noticing that, for most of my childhood and early adult life, a succession of Labour leaders reformed the constitution of the party. Neil Kinnock did, John Smith did, Tony Blair did, to make sure that it was more rooted in what the British people wanted. And it does seem, as an external observer, that a generation’s work has been unravelled in the space of 12 months.”

Mr Corbyn issued a statement ahead of a final rally he is due to hold in Islington today, saying: “Labour lost the election because they had no clear alternative to the Tories’ unnecessary, self-serving austerity plans. I’ve outlined policies which would provide decent jobs, homes, and schools, nurture high-tech, socially productive industries and foster a fairer, more inclusive Britain.

“In packed rallies from Aberdeen to Essex, these ideas have received an amazing welcome, showing that people are thirsting for a proper alternative to the current savage cuts.”

Elsewhere, his rival Andy Burnham made a last-minute appeal to people to vote in the contest, saying: “Our latest data shows that it’s neck and neck between Jeremy Corbyn and me. Your vote could be crucial.”

His team claimed that of almost 6000 people, who had yet to vote and contacted in the last 48 hours, six out of 10 were favouring the Shadow Health Secretary.

In a separation development, party HQ insisted all those who had complained they had not yet received their ballot papers would have done so by Wednesday evening.

But Michael Dugher, the Shadow Transport Secretary, who is running Mr Burnham's campaign, expressed his exasperation on Twitter, saying: “With thousands still to vote & many not had their ballot, @UKLabour has closed the call centre to help members trying to vote. Unbelievable.”