LABOUR leadership challenger Owen Smith says he is confident he will win the party's 'go-cart' race - and the wheels won't fall off his campaign.

Mr Smith was speaking to The Press this lunchtime before addressing York Labour party members at the Priory Street Centre, just yards from the pit stops for dozens of go-carts taking part in today's Micklegate Soapbox Challenge.

He won an immediate boost from former York Central MP Hugh Bayley, who said he was backing him and was not supporting Jeremy Corbyn because he wasn't 'decisive or tough enough' to be party leader or Prime Minister.

The Press was not allowed to attend the meeting, because it was for 'party members only', but spoke briefly to Mr Smith as he walked to the centre past go-carters including Alex Smith, of the Punch Bowl pub, whose cart lost two wheels within seconds of starting the Micklegate race.

He said he was confident he would win the Labour leadership race, adding: "I am definitely going to be first past the post. I can prove that I know about go-carts. There's a great photo of me we have used recently in the campaign showing me riding in my own go-cart down a hill in Pontypridd in 1979!"

Asked what his message was today to Labour party members, he said:"That this is the biggest choice we have faced in Labour for a generation.

"We have got a decision to make as to whether we want to contine with Labour not being seen as a serious party of government, not being taken credibly anywhere across Britain,or we can change the leadership of the party and get back to being a radical, effective opposition to the Tories and a government in waiting."

Mr Bayley said Mr Smith would make a 'better captain of the ship' and said: "I like Jeremy. I know him well and he's a nice guy but he's not decisive enough or tough enough to lead the party or to be Prime Minister, and he's not winning over voters in the key marginals - Scarborough, Pudsey and Shipley and Keighley - places we have to win to replace the Tories and become the party of Government."