There seems to be a checklist for Labour leadership hopefuls which all of them are very keen to tick off. When launching a campaign, a candidate must say that their party has just suffered a terrible defeat from which a number of profound lessons must be learned. These lessons all seem to be rather similar, and have led the candidates to say the following things:
- ‘We didn’t speak enough to aspirational voters’
Mary Creagh: ‘People felt that Labour didn’t understand their aspiration to earn money and provide a better life for their family.’
Chuka Umunna (when he was standing): ‘We need to… focus on what is the new agenda that is going to get a Labour government elected in 2020. That is aspirational…’
Andy Burnham: ‘That is about the aspirations of everyone, speaking to them like we did in 1997.’
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Yvette Cooper: ‘I think we have got to have a strong vision for the future and what we can do to help families and also to convince them that we can match their ambitions for the future.
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