Labour Needs Andy Burnham

Margaret Beckett writes:

It has been more than 40 years since I first became a Member of Parliament and I have seen - and fought in - a fair few leadership contests.

In the heat of a contest candidates come through as the right leader for the right time. And this is happening now.

I had not intended to nominate anybody when the contest began. I was going to watch and listen.

Then it became clear Jeremy Corbyn wanted to put himself forward. He wanted to make an argument that austerity was not working.

It was right that the party listened to this argument, right that we did not turn away from a strong point of view and clear that if he was on the ballot paper, the issues would be fully aired.

That was why I was one of those who decided to nominate Jeremy Corbyn. Now it is right that I make my position clear.

As with some of the others who nominated him, I was never going to vote for Jeremy and never going to urge others to do so.

And as the contest has gone on, the right leader for this time has come through. That leader is Andy Burnham.

Labour needs Andy Burnham.

He is the leader who can win for our party, not by throwing away Labour values but by arguing for them.

He is the leader who can win back the trust of voters in Scotland, Wales and England and he is the best candidate in the race to do this.

I have become convinced, not just because of what he has said, but because of what others have said about him.

People who have worked for a long time in our NHS said when Andy was Secretary of State for Health he had a better understanding of the issues facing the health service than any other minister they had ever met.

In meetings I have been told how Andy genuinely listens.

He listens not just when the cameras are there but also in small, private meetings when he takes times to understand and take on board what people are saying.

When he speaks, he tells it straight without fear or favour. He has got what it takes. He will not bow down to the right-wing media. He will stand up for ordinary people and their families.

When Andy was Health Secretary I have been told how he quietly spent time working without publicity as a porter in a hospital, and shadowing nurses and doctors. This is the mark of a modern leader.

I saw Tony Blair come from being an inexperienced shadow minister to someone who led Labour to victory. His challenges were no less daunting than those we face now.

We must remain a united party, committed to holding the Tories to account on the damage they plan to do to our country, and especially to the most vulnerable of our fellow citizens.

I am convinced Andy can build a movement to win again and change Britain for the better, to hold Cameron and Osborne to account and to win in 2020.

He is bold enough to believe in Labour values.

He is passionate and can communicate that passion clearly and effectively. He is experienced enough to know how to put those values into practice.

He is the leader who can show competence and compassion can go hand in hand. We did it in 1997 and we can do it again.

It is time to put our party back where we belong.