BIRMINGHAM MP Khalid Mahmood on Tuesday announced his decision to stand to become Labour's new deputy leader.
Announcing his bid, Mahmood said his aim was to ensure that Labour was not London-centric. A former engineer who lives and works in the West Midlands, Mahmood believes he is the ideal candidate to win back lost votes and seats.
“Since our party’s election defeat I’ve received many requests urging me to stand so I’m throwing my hat in the ring,” said Mahmood, according to the Mirror.
“I represent a constituency in the West Midlands and as an engineer believe in reviving British manufacturing with hi-tech so I know what people want.
“I’m not part of the metropolitan elite but in Birmingham, the workshop of Britain. I want to rebuild our country and the Labour Party.”
Mahmood believes the way to move forward is to focus on the green jobs that can be created from engineering and manufacturing.
Other candidates vying for the post include Barry Gardiner, Richard Burgon and Angela Rayner.
The Labour MP has blamed the lack of a coherent message for the party's drubbing at the general election held on December 12.
“We didn’t have a coherent message. It was difficult for people to understand. The Conservatives had a clear message. Get Brexit done was simple to understand," he was quoted as saying by Birmingham Mail.
“People wanted to get out of this mess we have been in since 2016 and the Conservatives were promising that. Our policy was hard to explain.
He said Labour should analyse their mistakes and take the defeat as an opportunity to understand the needs of the people “we are meant to represent. ”
“We need to work with the grassroots, the base of the Labour Party, the working classes. That’s where we have lost those votes. We need to win them back.”
