The Spectator

Dan Jarvis: why I won’t run as Labour leader (and why we lost)

Excerpts from his article in The Times today. Do read the whole thing (here).

“I won’t be putting my name forward in the coming leadership contest. It’s not the right time for my family. My eldest kids had a very tough time when they lost their mum [in 2011] and I don’t want them to lose their dad. I need some space for them, my wife and our youngest child right now, and I wouldn’t have it as leader.

In Scotland, [Labour has] been all but wiped out. We were also rejected across large parts of England. Put London to one side and more people have walked on the moon than the number of Labour MPs elected across the south west, southeast and east of England. And while Ukip only retained one seat, they made a marked impression in our traditional heartlands.

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