Coffee House is running a series of posts on the contenders to succeed Gordon Brown as Labour party leader. The latest is below. To read our profile of David Miliband, click here.
Jon Cruddas, 46
Pros
Clean hands: Cruddas has served in neither the Brown nor the Blair cabinets so it would be harder for the Tories to pin Labour’s failures on him, and he is not compromised by association with the failed Brown premiership. Also, Cruddas hasn’t been a participant in the Blairitie-Brownite wars so he gives Labour a chance to break out of that destructive cycle.
Anti-politics politics: Cruddas doesn’t look or sound like a typical Westminster politician. He would stand out from Cameron and Clegg. Cruddas is also far more of the grassroots politician—see his work in Dagenham against the BNP —than either Cameron or Clegg.
Comments
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