This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/24/gordon-brown-backs-yvette-cooper-for-labour-leader

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Gordon Brown backs Yvette Cooper for Labour leader Gordon Brown backs Yvette Cooper for Labour leader
(about 1 hour later)
Gordon Brown has endorsed Yvette Cooper as the next Labour leader, a week after delivering a coded warning against choosing Jeremy Corbyn. Gordon Brown has endorsed Yvette Cooper as the next Labour leader, a week after delivering a coded warning against the party choosing Jeremy Corbyn.
The former prime minister will speak about his endorsement at the Edinburgh book festival at the weekend, revealing he picked Andy Burnham as his second preference and Liz Kendall as his third.The former prime minister will speak about his endorsement at the Edinburgh book festival at the weekend, revealing he picked Andy Burnham as his second preference and Liz Kendall as his third.
The choices confirm he is not keen on Corbyn, which was the widely interpreted message of his speech at London’s Southbank centre arguing that Labour must be “credible, radical, sustainable and electable to help people out of poverty”. The choices confirm he is not keen on Corbyn, which was the widely-interpreted message of his speech at London’s Southbank centre arguing that Labour must be “credible, radical, sustainable and electable to help people out of poverty”.
At the time, Brown did not refer to any of the candidates by name, but his 50-minute speech was heavy with thinly veiled warnings that Corbyn would make Labour a party of protest rather than one of government. At the time, Brown did not refer to any of the candidates by name, but his 50-minute speech was full of thinly veiled warnings that Corbyn would make Labour a party of protest rather than one of government.
Related: Gordon Brown urges Labour not to be party of protest by electing Corbyn
He also suggested that the MP for Islington North could damage international relations by allying with Hezbollah, Hamas, Venezuela and Russia.He also suggested that the MP for Islington North could damage international relations by allying with Hezbollah, Hamas, Venezuela and Russia.
It is not known why Brown decided to make his choice public, after declining to reveal his favourite for the job a week ago. It is not known why he decided to make his choice public, after declining to reveal his favourite for the job a week ago.
However, his preference for Cooper will not be seen as surprising given that he promoted her to the cabinet, and her husband, Ed Balls, was one of his closest allies.However, his preference for Cooper will not be seen as surprising given that he promoted her to the cabinet, and her husband, Ed Balls, was one of his closest allies.
Brown is one of a string of senior Labour figures – including Tony Blair, Alan Johnson, Jack Straw and Alastair Campbell – who have warned that Corbyn would be electorally disastrous. Related: Gordon Brown urges Labour not to be party of protest by electing Corbyn
At a rally on Monday night, Burnham was preparing to give one of his strongest warnings yet against his party taking a “wrong turn”, while not mentioning Corbyn by name. Meanwhile, Burnham gave one of his strongest warnings yet against his party taking a “wrong turn” and allowing itself to become disunited.
Speaking in north London, he is to argue his party is at risk of losing the next two elections and being out of power for even longer than the 18 years under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Speaking in north London on Monday night, he argued his party is at risk of losing the next two elections and being out of power for even longer than the 18 years under Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
“I am very clear that under my leadership, we will have the strongest opposition ever – taking on the Tories, getting after them day in day out, setting out a clear and radical alternative. But we need more. Under my leadership we will also build a party that will not just take the Tories on, but kick the Tories out,” he will say. “I am very clear that under my leadership, we will have the strongest opposition ever – taking on the Tories, getting after them day in day out, setting out a clear and radical alternative. But we need more. Under my leadership we will also build a party that will not just take the Tories on, but kick the Tories out,” he said.
“If we take the wrong turn now, we risk subjecting people to two decades of the Tories. We let that happen once before and I will fight with everything I’ve got to stop it happening again.”“If we take the wrong turn now, we risk subjecting people to two decades of the Tories. We let that happen once before and I will fight with everything I’ve got to stop it happening again.”
He will also say the party is in danger of “turning inward and talking to ourselves” during the leadership contest instead of addressing the whole nation. Bunrham will also say the party is in danger of “turning inward and talking to ourselves” during the leadership contest instead of addressing the whole nation. A source in his camp insisted he was not talking about the danger of Corbyn in particular but the risk of disunity under anyone but Burnham.
Despite all the pleas from party grandees, Corbyn remains the firm favourite to win the contest, having galvanised the left with his anti-austerity politics and straight-talking manner. Corbyn remains the firm favourite to win the contest, having galvanised the left with his anti-austerity politics and straight-talking manner.
Corbyn also has the backing of the two biggest trade unions, Unite and Unison, although he is lacking in support among the parliamentary Labour party. On Monday, he set out his plans for improvement to mental health care, which included plans for schoolchildren to get education in emotional intelligence, life skills and parenting.
Earlier, the frontrunner dismissed warnings that the party could split under his leadership, saying the number of MPs making “noises off” about him was relatively small. Earlier, he dismissed warnings that the party could split under his leadership, saying the number of MPs making “noises off” about him was relatively small.
He also set out his plans for improvement to mental health care, which included plans for schoolchildren to get education in emotional intelligence, life skills and parenting. Amid some concerns among the candidates about the way the Labour contest has been run, representatives of all campaigns will gather at Labour headquarters for a briefing on Tuesday. In particular, Burnham’s camp raised worries on Friday “about potential Tory infiltration on a large scale” among the party’s new 120,000 registered supporters and raised the possibility of legal challenges.
“Britain has a mental health crisis, and this government is making it worse,” he said. “The Tory rhetoric about improving mental health provision has been accompanied by cuts in funding, services and support for people with mental health needs. Sources in the campaigns said the meeting would be an opportunity for Labour to reassure the candidates that the contest was legally robust. They would want to know in particular that checks on new supporters are as thorough in areas without Labour representation as places where the local MP is helping to weed out names of known supporters of other parties, and more details about the scale of the problem of infiltration, which Labour has been refusing to make public.
“Everyone knows someone who is suffering or has suffered from mental illness. The economic costs of mental illness are huge, and the personal costs are incalculable. A party insider said there were now particular concerns at Labour’s Brewer’s Green headquarters that entryists may have wiped their Facebook and Twitter profiles of clues that they are supporters of other parties.
“I am committed to a holistic approach that sees emotional wellbeing as fundamentally connected with a society less atomised and individualistic and more socially connected, more caring, more inclusive and more equal.” The source said it was not meant to be public knowledge that checks mostly involved monitoring the social media accounts of new members and supporters but this information about the verification process had leaked out.
A Labour spokesman denied reports that 50,000 new members and supporter who signed up to vote in the contest could ultimately remain unverified before the winner is declared on September 12.
It is understood the party was so inundated with applications that it had to draft in a team of Labour student volunteers to help with the process. However, the party is claiming the bulk of the verification process will be completed by the end of this week.