The former Foreign Sectary, David Milliband has formally launched his bid for the Labour leadership with a call for his party to “reform, repair and reconnect” with voters. Regarded by many as the Blairite candidate, the now shadow foreign sectary made his pitch in his home constituency of South Shields and was also keen to move beyond the divisions that paralysed Labour for much of the past 13 years: “I am not interested in politics defined as Blairite or Brownite. New Labour isn’t new any more. We learn from it; we benefit from it; we seek to emulate its successes but not repeat its mantras.”
Mr Miliband also said that there would be “no unattributable briefing” and that he had chosen people to work with whom he knew would not attack other candidates in the contest.
He promised trade unionists, who form a third of the electorate in choosing the next leader, that more should be done to engage them, acknowledging that in failing to do so previously “I’m as guilty as anyone”.
