Angela Rayner has said Labour faces the “biggest challenge in our history” to win back lost voters as she laid out her pitch to become the party’s deputy leader.

Once tipped as a possible successor to Jeremy Corbyn, the shadow education secretary instead threw her weight behind Rebecca Long Bailey for the top job as she confirmed her plans to stand for the deputy role.

Ms Rayner said Labour must “win or die” after its catastrophic election defeat in December, where Boris Johnson seized control of swathes of the party’s traditional heartlands in the north and the Midlands.

The “quick fix” of a new leader will not be enough to solve Labour’s woes, she said, warning that the party faced the “fight of our lives” to win back the 123 seats needed to secure a majority at the next election.

Her intervention comes as Labour’s ruling body met to set the rules for a contest to replace both Mr Corbyn and his deputy Tom Watson.

Addressing party faithful on the housing estate where she was raised in Stockport, Ms Rayner said: “Our coalition, the foundation of our party, is broken.

“Some blame Brexit, some blame the leadership. We all know both came up time and again, not least in seats like this one and my own.

“Yet neither will be the defining issue at the next general election. Politics makes for short memories.

“But this crisis has been a long time coming. It is the biggest challenge in our history.”

Ms Rayner added: “As a party we face a choice: win or die. And I fight to win.”

The Ashton-under-Lyme MP, who left school at 16 without any qualifications, said Labour had been “patronising” to many of its own supporters for too long.

She said: “I talk about my background because for too long I felt I wasn’t good enough; I felt ashamed of who I was. It took me time for that shame to turn into pride.

The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Show all 8 1 /8 The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Keir Starmer The former director of public prosecutions undoubtedly has announced that he is standing for the leadership. He is highly-regarded by both left-wingers and centrists in the party. As Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, he played a key role in the party’s eventual backing of a second referendum. Before becoming an MP, he was a human rights lawyer - conducting cases in international courts including the European Court of Human Rights. Launching his bid, Starmer said that Labour must listen to the public on how to change "restore trust in our party as a force for good." A YouGov poll places him comfortably in the lead as the preferred candidate of 36% of party members EPA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Lisa Nandy Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has announced she wil stand for the leadership. In a letter to the Wigan Post she said she wanted to bring Labour "home" to voters in its traditional strongholds who have abandoned the party. Nandy went on to say that she understands "that we have one chance to win back the trust of people in Wigan, Workington and Wrexham." A YouGov poll shows that Nandy is the first preference for 6% of partymembers. Getty The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Rebecca Long Bailey A key ally of the current left-wing leadership of the party, the Salford & Eccles MP is viewed in some quarters as the natural successor to Mr Corbyn and describes herself as a “proud socialist”. Highly regarded by the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell. She won also won plaudits for her performance filling in for Corbyn both at prime minister’s questions and during the general election debates. The shadow business secretary grew up by Old Trafford football ground and began her working life serving at the counter of a pawn shop. Launching her leadership bid, Long Bailey said the party needs to make the positive case for immigration as a "positive force." She also broke with Corbyn over Trident, saying "If you have a deterrent you have to be prepared to use it." PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Angela Rayner - Deputy leadership Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has joined the contest for deputy leadership of the party. After ruling herself out of running for the leadership, the Ashton-under-Lynne MP launched her bid for deputy warning that Labour faces the "biggest challenge" in its history and must "win or die." She is close with leadership contender Rebecca Long Bailey PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Rosena Allin-Khan - Deputy leadership Shadow sport minister Rosena Allin-Khan said Labour need to listen with "humility" to lost voters as she launched her bid for the deputy leadership. Writing in The Independent, the MP for Tooting refelcted: "We shouldn’t have ignored the warning signs in Scotland, and now we’ve paid the price in northern England, across the midlands and in Wales." PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Dawn Butler - Deputy leadership Shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler was first to announce her bid for the deputy leadership. The Brent Central MP has served in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet since 2016 PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Ian Murray - Deputy leadership Labour's only MP in Scotland said that the architects of the party's "catastrophic failure" in the December election can not be allowed to lead the party forward PA The battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader Richard Burgon - Deputy leadership Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon is standing as a continuity candidate, flaunting his loyalty to Jeremy Corbyn and saying it is wrong to blame the current leader for the election defeat PA

“Because I remember when I first spoke from the front bench in the House of Commons, a parliamentary sketch writer said I must have got lost from the set of Little Britain.

“It was another way of saying I didn’t know my place.”

The frontbencher endorsed her friend and flatmate, Ms Long Bailey, who is seen as the heir to the Corbyn project.

She said: “I don’t pretend that I have all the answers. That is the point of being a collectivist. That by the strength of our common endeavour, we achieve more than we do alone.

“It is why I want the leadership of our party to be a team effort. I will be quite straightforward: I will be voting for my friend Rebecca Long Bailey if she stands for the leadership.”

Taking questions afterwards, Ms Rayner said the duo were “two fantastic women” and suggested “we’ve had plenty of blokes from London before”.

She said she “took offence” at Ms Long Bailey being described as the “continuity Corbyn” candidate, adding: “She is her own woman and she will say what she stands for. She isn’t Corbynism, she isn’t Blairism, she isn’t Brownism.

“She is Rebecca Long Bailey and people should give her the chance to outline what that means for her and her leadership campaign.”

Ms Long Bailey has not officially announced her candidacy but tweeted her support for her friend’s campaign.

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon is also running for the deputy role, against his shadow cabinet colleague Dawn Butler and Birmingham Perry MP Khalid Mahmood.

The party's sole Scottish MP, Ian Murray, is also reportedly considering running for the job.