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A Note From Yvette

"No one is in any doubt about the importance of this Leadership Election for Labour to win again in 2020. I know we can’t afford to write off our chances in five years' time and lose another generation to a dangerous Tory future.

This isn't going to be an easy task. Our new leader has to hit the ground running --­­ not try and learn on the job. We must not let the Tories define us, denigrate us and dismiss us in this crucial period. The ideas and energy of our activists, members and supporters will be so important to making this happen. Our leader must have the strength and confidence to harness the talent we have in this party and in our great Labour movement ­ and we should not forget it is still great.

There is much to be proud of in our values but the offer we took to the country was too narrow.

We need to change, to broaden our appeal and win back voters from the Tories, the SNP and UKIP; to succeed in small towns as well as big cities, North and South, England, Scotland and Wales ­-- and we need a progressive, modern Labour vision to do so, rooted in our values and optimistic about the future.

It’s not enough for us to focus on our core support, many of whom already feel taken for granted. But nor should we try and ape the Tories by swallowing their manifesto.

With your support, Labour can send a strong message about how serious we are about victory in 2020. I’m determined to take on David Cameron and the Tories from the start. Ultimately it is a choice about who will be the best Labour Prime Minister ­­-- because that's the decision voters will be making at the General Election.

We can win the next election and we must win for the sake of the fairer, stronger and less divided society we are all fighting for. I have the experience, the strength, the serious ideas, the values and the reach to speak to voters in every corner of the country. That's why I'm asking for your support."

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About Yvette: 

Yvette Cooper has been the MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, and previously for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. She has held some of the most challenging jobs in government, and was instrumental in developing some of Labour’s most successful policies, including Sure Start.  As public health minister in 2001, Yvette was the first minister to take maternity leave. She served in the Cabinet from 2008 as the first female Chief Secretary to the Treasury, before becoming Work and Pensions Secretary in 2009.  She was appointed Shadow Home Secretary in 2011.