Peter Hain: Yvette Cooper needs to up her game

Composite image of Peter Hain and Yvette CooperPA
Mr Hain (l) has switched his support from Andy Burnham to Yvette Cooper (r)

Yvette Cooper needs to step up her campaign if she is to win the contest to become Labour's next leader, ex-cabinet minister Peter Hain has said.

He told the BBC he had switched his support from Andy Burnham to Ms Cooper.

But he said time was running out for her to "set this campaign alight" and beat current frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn.

A campaign spokeswoman welcomed Mr Hain's support and said Ms Cooper had launched a tour of the country to speak to as many Labour members as possible.

Mr Hain's call comes after an opinion poll suggested left-wing MP Mr Corbyn will romp to victory in Labour's leadership contest.

The YouGov poll for The Times of 1,400 eligible voters put the Islington North MP on 53%, 32 points ahead of Mr Burnham. Ms Cooper is down two points, on 18% and Liz Kendall down three, on 8%.

'Not helpful'

The popularity of Mr Corbyn's campaign has caused a row within the Labour Party, with several senior figures - including former Prime Minister Tony Blair - warning against a lurch to the left.

And Alastair Campbell, Mr Blair's former spokesman, is urging support for "anyone but Corbyn", saying the London MP could never win a general election.

However, Labour deputy leadership contender Tom Watson has told the BBC that critics of Mr Corbyn should keep quiet.

Mr Watson confirmed that he would serve as deputy to Mr Corbyn if elected

"Telling members what not to do is not helpful and not enhancing the debate that we need about the future of the country," he said.

He added that Mr Campbell should decide whether he had been a "helpful part" of the debate.

'Little time left'

Commenting on the leadership contest, former Welsh Secretary Peter Hain told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that the more people attacked Mr Corbyn's campaign "the better he seems to do".

He said Ms Cooper and Mr Burnham were the "two most credible candidates" in the race but they had "failed to catch the mood in the party in the way that I had hoped".

This had been to the advantage of Mr Corbyn's campaign, added Mr Hain, who stepped down as an MP at the 2015 general election.

Labour leadership contest

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Labour leadership candidates (l-r): Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn
  • Who are the candidates? Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn, Liz Kendall
  • Dates: Ballot papers will be sent out on 14 August; voting can take place by post or online. They must be returned by 10 September. The result is announced on 12 September
  • Who can vote? All party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters - including those joining via a union
  • What is the voting system? The Alternative Vote system is being used so voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference
  • How does it work? If no candidate gets 50% of all votes cast, the candidate in fourth place is eliminated. Their second preference votes are then redistributed among the remaining three. If there is still no winner, the third place candidate is eliminated with their second preferences (or third in the case of votes transferred from the fourth place candidates) redistributed. It is then a head-to-head between the last two candidates

At-a-glance profiles of the four contenders

He said: "Most party members feel underwhelmed by the choice that they have been offered. We have very able candidates, all four of them in their different ways.

"I had been tending towards Andy and I am now going to vote for Yvette Cooper because I think she has been clear it wasn't the Labour deficit, it was the bankers who caused the economic crisis and all the debt and deficit and borrowing problems we had."

Mr Hain said he believed Ms Cooper "can still win this election, but she has to really set this campaign alight in the next few days", warning that "there isn't much time left".

"It's going to require a big, big heave and a big effort from her," he added.

A spokesman for Ms Cooper's campaign said it was "fantastic" to have Mr Hain's support.

She said Ms Cooper had launched a "Putting People First" tour of the country to address as many Labour members and supporters as possible before voting in the leadership contest closes.

Wednesday is the deadline for those who want to register to vote in the contest, and ballot papers will be sent out on 14 August.

The winner of the contest will be announced at a special conference on 12 September.

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