Owen Smith: I’m running because I want a bold, radical and fair Labour Party At 11am this morning, I will be standing at a new college on the site of a former colliery in […]

At 11am this morning, I will be standing at a new college on the site of a former colliery in my home town of Pontypridd, launching my campaign to be Labour leader and the next Labour Prime Minister.

I decided to hold the launch away from the machine politicking of Westminster, because community is where my politics, my socialism, is rooted. The miners’ strike [1984-85] began when I was 14 and I’ll never forget the pride at seeing people coming together to fight for their neighbours, their jobs and hope for the next generation.

During that time I saw what solidarity and community really meant and the power of politics to change things, for better or worse. So, for me, politics is about making a real and lasting difference to people’s lives. This is why I am Labour right to my fingertips.

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Turning on ourselves

Yet, at a time when Britain desperately needs a strong Labour Party, we are at grave risk of turning in on ourselves. If we carry on like this, the party will spilt and I won’t let that happen on my watch.

That is why I am standing for the leadership to unite our party and provide an ambitious, credible alternative to the Tories.

Over this campaign, I’ll argue that it’s not enough just to talk about being anti-austerity; we need to set out details of how we will replace the discredited Tory austerity plan and invest to renew Britain. Another of the great challenges Labour must show leadership on is the environment and safeguarding it for future generations.

Climate change is the greatest global threat we face and it is a gross act of environmental vandalism for the Tories to scrap DECC, the department responsible for tackling these challenges.

Under my leadership, I would not only immediately restore the department, but redouble the emphasis across government to save our precious and fragile environment, at home and abroad.

Brexit’s misleading tactics

When it comes to Britain’s place in the world, it is also clear to me that the British people must be trusted to have the final say on any Brexit deal that’s struck.

We now know that the Brexit campaign’s misleading tactics left huge numbers of people – who voted both to leave and remain – deeply angry. With claims like an extra £350m a week that could be poured into the NHS, disappearing as soon as the polls closed. So the final terms of Brexit are now completely unclear, which is why I think people should be offered the chance to ratify any final Brexit deal Britain strikes with the EU – through either a second referendum or general election.

A Labour Party led by me will always be bold, radical and ambitious about changing our world for the better, backed up with the hard work and credibility. I look forward to proving that to Labour members and the country throughout this campaign.

Owen Smith is the Labour MP for Pontypridd