‘The voters feel no one is on their side’

Jon Cruddas belongs to a rare breed of politicians who believe the best view of the House of Commons is through the rear-view mirror. He glances at it as we head to his Dagenham constituency in his non-ecologically friendly Land-Rover. ‘Gordon Brown will be taxing you for this soon,’ I say. He replies with a look that suggests 1,000 expletives. Reverence for the Labour hierarchy is not his strong point, yet it is on this very platform that he is staking his claim to be the party’s deputy leader.

Since being elected as an MP five years ago he has pursued an unusual career path. He was a No. 10 Downing Street adviser, brought in to bridge the gap with the trade unions. Elected at the age of 39, he was well placed to climb the greasy pole. Instead he forswore ministerial ambition and pledged himself to politics in Dagenham, his adopted home since fighting the Ford plant closures.