Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has backed Keir Starmer’s bid to be the next leader of the Labour Party.
In a video message released today, the former Labour Prime Minister said Mr Starmer “has all the qualifications that are necessary for a Prime Minister of the future.” He adds: “A vote for Keir Starmer is a vote for hope. It’s a vote for the future. It’s a vote for the values that all of us believe in deeply.”
Mr Starmer is the current front-runner in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as the party's leader following December's disastrous General Election defeat.
The endorsement of Mr Brown will come as a big boost to the former Shadow Brexit Secretary, with the results of the contest due in a month.
Mr Brown was Prime Minister of the UK between 2007 and 2010.
He said: "In the last 10 years the Conservative Government have succeeded in demolishing much of the social fabric and the post-war social contract that we created. Millions of workers are on low pay and millions of children as a result are in poverty.
“Young people are denied opportunities in education, employment and housing. The post-war welfare state safety net is now being replaced by food banks.
“Our public services are deteriorating and the National Health Service is struggling from crisis to crisis. Britain deserves better than this and it needs a Labour Party with a vision of what can be achieved in the new world of the 2020s.”
“When Labour has come together and been united we have had massive achievements that have changed the face of Britain. The National Health Service in the 1940s. The Open University and education expansion in the 1960s.
“In the 1990s and beyond the minimum wage, tax credits, Sure Start, so many major reforms doubling the amount of money spent on the health service - and restoring it for the people of Britain.”
On the leadership contest, he added: "“We have three worthy candidates in the election for Labour leader. Rebecca Long-Bailey has emphasised the importance of a Green New Deal. Lisa Nandy has talked rightly about the importance of empowering our communities.
"But there is one candidate with the expertise, with the eloquence, with the dedication, with the commitment and indeed with the values that are necessary for Labour to return to power.
“Keir Starmer has all the qualifications that are necessary for a Prime Minister of the future. A vote for Keir Starmer is a vote for hope. It’s a vote for the future. It’s a vote for the values that all of us believe in deeply. Join Keir Starmer and let’s elect a Labour Government.”
