Liz Kendall confirmed to Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics that she will be running for the Labour leadership.
As an aside at the end of her interview, during which she was asked about Labour’s future, its campaign mistakes, and the whereabouts of the Ed Stone, Neil asked: “You are running?”
“Yes,” she replied.
Kendall has been MP for Leicester West since 2010 and is on the shadow health team. Her brief is care and older people.
She was widely touted as one of the runners and riders for the next Labour leader, and has now confirmed that she will be running.
She is thought of as a Blairite candidate, telling the Sunday Times:
We need to show people that we understand their aspirations and ambitions for the future, and if you look right across England, we did not do enough to appeal to Conservative supporters, and we must.
She has criticised Labour’s campaign as being too negative, and also decried its narrow focus on zero-hours contracts.
Chuka Umunna, shadow business secretary and another likely candidate for the leadership was more coy on the Marr Show, refusing to confirm that he will be running, but giving a similar critique of Labour’s past five years as Kendall.