Gardiner calls for focus on Labour’s future

Brent North MP Barry Gardiner has called on the Labour Party to look to the future following the release of Tony Blair's memoirs.

Mr Blair has called Gordon Brown "maddening" in his book, A Journey, saying he knew his former Chancellor would be a "disaster" as Prime Minister.

Lord Prescott warned on Wednesday that divisions between supporters of the two men could potentially have a damaging long-term effect on getting back into power.

However Mr Gardiner says the focus should be on the candidates involved in Labour's current leadership contest.

"Clearly everybody knows that the relationship between Blair and Brown was not a great one," said Mr Gardiner. "The important thing is to focus on the politics of the future, not the politics that were going on five or ten years ago."

Voting in the leadership contest was opened up to Labour Party members on Wednesday.

David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Ed Balls and Diane Abbott are all hoping to take over as party leader, with the result due to be announced on September 25.

Mr Gardiner said: "The challenge for the party is to elect a new leader that is going to face the problems that the country is going to face in the future.

"It's about having a vision of a fairer society that we want to see, a greater equality in society and not losing that need to recognise and reward aspiration and hard work."

Source: THE HA1

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