West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson is favourite for Labour deputy

West Midlands MP Tom Watson is the frontrunner in the battle to become Labour's deputy leader - as some of his opponents are struggling to even get on the ballot paper.

Tom Watson urged the government to support workers who have been made redundant

Mr Watson, who represents West Bromwich East, has also raised more than £20,000 in donations through a crowd funding website to help him to campaign.

So far he has at least 54 nominations from MPs - well over the 35 minimum required to get on the ballot paper.

There are seven candidates in the running and the cut off is Saturday.

Fellow MPs Rushanara Ali, Stella Creasey, Angela Eagle, John Healey and Ben Bradshaw are still short of the nominations they need.

Mr Watson, a former minister and deputy chairman of Labour, is being backed by neighbouring West Bromwich West MP Adrian Bailey and Dudley North's Ian Austin as well as Wolverhampton South West's Rob Marris, Warley's John Spellar and Walsall North's David Winnick.

Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint will be on the ballot paper and her backers include Wolverhampton MPs Emma Reynolds and Pat McFadden.

Mr Watson's campaign funding website has so far received donations from more than 470 people since he announced his intention to run for the deputy leadership in the wake of Labour's General Election defeat.

He said his aim was for the deputy leadership to focus on the campaign for the 2020 General Election.

"I want to write an election battle plan that wins in 2020," he said. "My plan is a simple one – to make us the finest campaigning party the country has ever seen.

"We have been before, and we will be again."

Current deputy leader Harriet Harman has moved up to become acting leader of the party in the wake of Ed Miliband's resignation.

But she intends to vacate the deputy leadership as well once a new leader is chosen.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, who is running for the leadership again having unsuccessfully stood against Mr Miliband in 2010, counts Walsall South MP Valerie Vaz among his backers.

Blairite Liz Kendall is being supported by Mr McFadden and Miss Reynolds.

Mr Austin, Mr Bailey and Mr Spellar are all supporting the shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper in her leadership bid.

The other candidates Mary Creagh and John Corbyn are not currently being supported by any Black Country Labour MPs and are a long way short of the 35 nominations they require.