Campbell urges Labour team to “step up” as the election is “too focused on the two leaders”

Alastair Campbell, former Director of Communications for Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister, has urged the Labour “team” to step up (£), saying the election shouldn’t just be about leaders.

He explained that he believes “think there is a responsibility for Ed Miliband to engage and liberate the broader team, but more importantly for that broader team to step up to it … the election is becoming far too focused on the two leaders”

Campbell said the shadow cabinet need to “use the skills they’ve got” and pinpointed Tristram Hunt, Andy Burnham and Rachel Reeves as those who could be key players in the run up to the general election. He also compared the current way Labour are operating to when he was at the helm of communications, saying  ”my Labour team had a much deeper understanding of the importance of teamship and teambuilding than politicians now. But towards the end bad teamship is why my Labour team fell apart – something about politics stops people being natural team players.”

Campbell also used this opportunity to hit out at David Cameron. He said while the current PM is ”technically a good communicator” he’s a ”third-rate PR man” who ”only knows he wants to be Prime Minister, he doesn’t know why he wants to be Prime Minister”. Meanwhile, he added that ”Ed is who he is”.