Clive Lewis has become the second MP to announce he will stand in the upcoming race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader.
The shadow Treasury minister, in an article for the Guardian, said he wanted to “unleash” the Labour movement to win its first general election since 2005.
The confirmation of the left-wing MP’s decision to fight for the top job follows shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry’s declaration on Wednesday.
Lewis said he wanted to have the opportunity to “win back” the trust of the electorate in Labour’s traditional heartlands, where large swathes of voters deserted the party in favour of Boris Johnson’s Conservatives at the election.
“The truth is that while making a clear break with the New Labour era in terms of policy and personnel, the party was never able to communicate this to voters in our heartlands,” said the MP of four years.
“When trying to persuade them of our radicalism and sincerity, we often had the legacy of the 2000s thrown back in our faces.
“Persuading voters that we understand the sources of their long-held resentment and frustration, of their disappointment in how Labour has conducted itself since the 1990s, will be the first step towards winning back their trust.”
Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, has been quick out of the blocks to endorse Lewis for leader.
The contest to succeed Corbyn has yet to officially start but a number of other candidates are expected to declare in the coming weeks.
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey is said to be considering running, while shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, Wigan MP Lisa Nandy and arch-Remainer and Tottenham MP David Lammy have all expressed interest.