I believe Yvette is the right person to bring Labour back into government in 2020

Cities like Bristol and Plymouth typify the challenge facing Labour’s next leader. In Bristol, in seats we had made a priority to win, our share of the vote decreased, and in Plymouth Moor View, Labour actually lost an MP.

As the Labour MEP for the South West region I spent time campaigning for great candidates in these seats and shared their pain, and that of the thousands who voted Labour, when we lost. These are two places where Labour must win to become a party of government once again.

Last week, Labour leadership candidate Yvette Cooper spoke to party members in both Bristol and Plymouth and I went along to hear what she had to say. Yvette spoke clearly and intelligently about the issues facing people here in the South West, and the electoral challenge facing Labour across the region.

It is clear that Yvette understands the importance of winning back places like Bristol and Plymouth and that she understands what Labour needs to do to convince people here that Labour is a credible party of government.

For example, she talked about creating new highly-skilled, secure and well-paid jobs for future generations. As an MEP I have an interest in renewable technologies, not just to help tackle climate change, but the numerous possibilities that they provide for creating these jobs for our region. Yvette understands that not all new jobs should be in London and the South East, and that we must equip our young people for the jobs of the future and not just look to the past.

This is one reason why last week I joined 149 other prominent Labour women in endorsing Yvette’s campaign. Labour has always been a party that has championed gender equality, it’s one of the reasons I am most proud to be a Labour Party member and a Labour MEP. I strongly believe that it is about time Labour had a woman leading the party, but I’m not just supporting Yvette because she’s a woman. I’m supporting her because I want a leader who will fight for the policies that women and men in this region need, like a revolution in work and childcare, affordable homes, and more good jobs.

The other day in Bristol and Plymouth, Yvette showed once again that her intelligence and experience in government means she will provide the best opposition to David Cameron in the House of Commons.

When the Prime Minister told Labour MP, Angela Eagle, to ‘calm down dear’ it showed the country that he has a problem with women – now it’s time to give him an even bigger one.

None of the candidates to be the next Labour leader wanted to be having a leadership race, they wanted to be in government and making policy that would improve the lives of millions of people across the UK. However, given the increasing publicity surrounding the contest, no event like this could pass without mentioning the leadership race itself.

Yvette warned Labour members about taking the polls too seriously and thinking the leadership race is a done-deal. She’s right; if the results on May 7 taught us nothing else they taught us that pollsters don’t always get it right. There is still a chance for Labour members to choose a real alternative to George Osborne’s plan for the economy, one that is based on real hope and not false promises. I believe that Yvette is the only candidate to offer that hope, vision and alternative.

When Yvette arrived to speak to members in the South West, the rooms were full of party members keen to ensure that Labour forms the next government. This means that the next Labour leader needs to unite not only the party but the country. There were too many people in places like Bristol and Plymouth who needed a Labour government that we let down, and I believe that Yvette is the right person to bring Labour back into government in 2020.

Clare Moody is the Labour MEP for the South West and Gibraltar