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| Labour leadership: Gordon Brown says party must be credible | Labour leadership: Gordon Brown says party must be credible |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Labour must be "credible" and "electable" in order to win back power and realise its "high ideals", Gordon Brown has said. | Labour must be "credible" and "electable" in order to win back power and realise its "high ideals", Gordon Brown has said. |
| The former PM said Labour must not become "a party of permanent protest". | The former PM said Labour must not become "a party of permanent protest". |
| Mr Brown said he was not attacking any individual candidate in the leadership race. But some of his comments appeared to warn against choosing left-winger Jeremy Corbyn. | Mr Brown said he was not attacking any individual candidate in the leadership race. But some of his comments appeared to warn against choosing left-winger Jeremy Corbyn. |
| The other candidates are Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham. | The other candidates are Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham. |
| Mr Brown's comments come as a poll suggests Mr Corbyn is considered the candidate most likely to worsen Labour's prospects of winning the next election. | Mr Brown's comments come as a poll suggests Mr Corbyn is considered the candidate most likely to worsen Labour's prospects of winning the next election. |
| Last week, Mr Brown's predecessor at Number 10, Tony Blair, warned that Labour risked annihilation if it elected Mr Corbyn, who polls have also suggested is front-runner. | Last week, Mr Brown's predecessor at Number 10, Tony Blair, warned that Labour risked annihilation if it elected Mr Corbyn, who polls have also suggested is front-runner. |
| Mr Brown did not use Mr Corbyn's name but made it clear he disagreed with many of his economic and social policies. | Mr Brown did not use Mr Corbyn's name but made it clear he disagreed with many of his economic and social policies. |
| The former prime minister said the UK must continue to build international alliances under a future Labour government. | The former prime minister said the UK must continue to build international alliances under a future Labour government. |
| He added: "I have to say that if our global alliances are going to be alliances with Hezbollah and Hamas and Hugo Chavez's Venezuela and Vladimir Putin's Russia, there is absolutely no chance of building a world-wide alliance that can deal with poverty and inequality and climate change and financial instability, and we've got to face up to that fact." | He added: "I have to say that if our global alliances are going to be alliances with Hezbollah and Hamas and Hugo Chavez's Venezuela and Vladimir Putin's Russia, there is absolutely no chance of building a world-wide alliance that can deal with poverty and inequality and climate change and financial instability, and we've got to face up to that fact." |
| Mr Corbyn has previously described Hezbollah as "friends" and said that he wanted Hamas to be "part of the debate". | |
| Analysis: Alex Forsyth, political correspondent, BBC News | Analysis: Alex Forsyth, political correspondent, BBC News |
| That was a big speech - Gordon Brown covered almost the entire history of the Labour Party - but there was one point that he was very clearly making. | That was a big speech - Gordon Brown covered almost the entire history of the Labour Party - but there was one point that he was very clearly making. |
| It doesn't matter what your principles are, what you believe in. None of that is any good unless you can get into power - and that was a veiled dig at Jeremy Corbyn. | It doesn't matter what your principles are, what you believe in. None of that is any good unless you can get into power - and that was a veiled dig at Jeremy Corbyn. |
| Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of being a politician of protest, someone who attracts a lot of strong feelings, a lot of passion, but who could be unelectable. That's the accusation levelled at him and that's exactly the point that Gordon Brown was making. | Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of being a politician of protest, someone who attracts a lot of strong feelings, a lot of passion, but who could be unelectable. That's the accusation levelled at him and that's exactly the point that Gordon Brown was making. |
| He didn't name him. He refused to do that, but we know exactly who he was talking about. | He didn't name him. He refused to do that, but we know exactly who he was talking about. |
| Mr Brown also referred repeatedly to the need for Labour to become more than a party of protest - a criticism that has been levelled at Mr Corbyn. | Mr Brown also referred repeatedly to the need for Labour to become more than a party of protest - a criticism that has been levelled at Mr Corbyn. |
| "We are grieving and it hurts," he said. | "We are grieving and it hurts," he said. |
| "And I'm not here to attack any individual candidate. And I'm not here to say abandon your high ideals. | "And I'm not here to attack any individual candidate. And I'm not here to say abandon your high ideals. |
| "What I am here to say is that the best way of realising our high ideals is to show that we have an alternative in government that is credible, that is radical, and is electable - is neither a pale imitation of what the Tories offer nor is it the route to being a party of permanent protest, rather than a party of government." | "What I am here to say is that the best way of realising our high ideals is to show that we have an alternative in government that is credible, that is radical, and is electable - is neither a pale imitation of what the Tories offer nor is it the route to being a party of permanent protest, rather than a party of government." |
| He went on: "It is not a mistake to want power. It is not a mistake to do what is necessary to get back to power." | He went on: "It is not a mistake to want power. It is not a mistake to do what is necessary to get back to power." |
| Mr Brown spoke after a ComRes study of 2,035 adults in Britain, for the Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror, found 31% of those polled thought Mr Corbyn would worsen Labour's prospects of electoral success. Mr Burnham was the poll's least damaging candidate. | Mr Brown spoke after a ComRes study of 2,035 adults in Britain, for the Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror, found 31% of those polled thought Mr Corbyn would worsen Labour's prospects of electoral success. Mr Burnham was the poll's least damaging candidate. |
| Conversely though, 21% thought Mr Corbyn would be most likely to boost Labour's chances of winning the next election. | Conversely though, 21% thought Mr Corbyn would be most likely to boost Labour's chances of winning the next election. |
| Labour leadership contest | Labour leadership contest |