The UK’s main opposition Labour Party has experienced a surge in membership since the December 2019 general election and also amid the ongoing leadership race to replace incumbent chief Jeremy Corbyn, according to report on Saturday.

Constituency Labour parties (CLPs) have reported increases in local membership amid the ongoing leadership race, in which members will vote from February 21, the BBC reported.

In Hammersmith, west London, the CLP has seen a 32 per cent increase with 413 members joining in a single month, while in Bury North numbers have gone up by 26 per cent with 202 people signing up.

Earlier on Friday, Boris Johnson hailed “a new chapter” in Britain’s history as he signed its divorce treaty with the European Union and that cleared another hurdle before the country exits the bloc next Friday.

The UK will keep a copy of the agreement while the original will return to Brussels, where it will be stored in an archive along with other historic international agreements.

Earlier, Labour planned to renegotiate the deal agreed between the current Conservative government and the European Union, and then put it to another vote, with remaining in the EU is the other option.

Elsewhere, Richmond, south-west London, now boasts 350 new members, up 30 per cent, and Hove, East Sussex, has 477 more, up 21 per cent, while Exeter has seen a 25 per cent increase with 300 additional members.

The five candidates in the leadership race are Indian-origin MP Lisa Nandy, Birmingham MP Jess Phillips; Shadow First Secretary of State Emily Thornberry; Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Keir Starmer; and Shadow Business Secretary MP Rebecca Long-Bailey.

The five contenders need the support of 5 per cent of local parties or at least three affiliates by February 14 to make the final ballot.

Members of the public who join the party or become affiliated supporters before January 20 will be eligible to vote in the contest, the BBC reported.

Earlier, Corbyn had said that a Scottish independence referendum was “not a priority” in the “early years” of his administration, which he defined as being two years.

On December 11 election, Jeremy Corbyn had conceded his defeat and said that he will not fight another general election as Labour leader after his party sustained crushing losses to the Conservatives.