One of the most senior advisors to Eamon Gilmore has quit his job in the Labour Party to manage the campaign by Alex White for the party leadership.

Derek McDowell is a former TD for Dublin North-Central and was a senior advisor to the Tánaiste. He has also served as assistant Government Press Secretary.

Minister White and Joan Burton are the only two candidates in the race to succeed Eamon Gilmore as party leader, after nominations closed earlier today.

A postal ballot of around 5,000 Labour members will now be organised with the result due on July 4th.

The count will take place immediately afterwards.

Burton and White are going head-to-head for the leadership of the party

Meanwhile the contest for the deputy leadership is a four-way race.

Junior Ministers Alan Kelly and Sean Sherlock, as well as TDs Michael McCarthy and Ciara Conway, have put their names forward.

North Kerry-West Limerick TD Arthur Spring - who had considered putting his own name forward for the leadership - has told Radio Kerry that he is now throwing his support behind Minister Burton.

Meanwhile, candidiate Alex White has refused to rule out going into government with Sinn Féin if he is elected Labour leader.

The junior health minister says no party can rule themselves out when it comes to forming a government after the next election.

And the junior health minister says no party - including Sinn Féin - could be ruled out of government if they had enough seats in the Dáil.

His clarification came despite previous assertions from Joan Burton that she wants to stay in power with Fine Gael after the election.