Dan Jarvis backs Andy Burnham for leader

Barnsley East MP Dan Jarvis has announced he will be supporting Andy Burnham in the Labour leadership race. In an article in tomorrow’s Daily Mirror, Jarvis says Burnham “has the strength, experience and character” needed to lead the party.

He writes:

“Labour were routed in Scotland, went backwards in Wales and rejected in England. We were swept away by the Tories in the south, while UKIP eroded our support in our traditional heartlands.

We need a unifying leader with the broad appeal to win those people back. That’s why I am supporting Andy Burnham and will be doing everything I can to ensure he is elected as Leader of the Labour Party.”

Many will consider the Jarvis endorsement as a major coup for Burnham – Jarvis himself had been seen as a serious contender to succeed Ed Miliband until he ruled himself out last weekend. Since then his stock seems to have risen, receiving a wild reception at Progress conference on Saturday.

It is not the first major name to back Burnham: this weekend he also revealed he had the support of Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves.