Image copyright EPA Image caption Labour leadership contender Yvette Cooper said 'the mountain we now have to climb is high'

Yvette Cooper has warned the Labour Party against swinging too far to the left or right as it seeks to elect a new leader after the election defeat.

The leadership contender said it was wrong to think "there needs to be blood on the floor" for Labour to rise again.

Writing in the Huffington Post she said the party needs urgent changes to win elections next year in London, Wales and Scotland.

Ms Cooper is one of four candidates who have put their names forward so far.

The others are Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall and Mary Creagh - candidates need the signatures of 35 MPs to make it onto the ballot paper.

The BBC is to host a debate between candidates on 17 June ahead of a new leader being announced on 12 September.

'Need to reach out'

Ms Cooper wrote: "The mountain we now have to climb is high. But there are some who mutter that we should give up.

"That there needs to be blood on the floor for the Labour Party to rise again. That we should swing our party far to the right or far to the left, then fight it out from first principles all over again.

"They believe we simply can't return to office in under a decade. They advocate, not a 2020 strategy, but a vague plan to win in 2025.

"But that's no good for Labour, for Britain or for those who depend on progressive change. We can't fight and win by remaining a narrow party, we have to reach out."

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Labour leadership contender Liz Kendall says the party must be more pro-business

Ed Miliband resigned as Labour leader after the Conservatives were elected as a majority government with 331 seats in the general election.

Harriet Harman has been leading Labour temporarily until a new leader is appointed but has ruled herself out of the contest.

In the same article, Ms Cooper wrote that the party had to "face some hard truths" and acknowledge that it could not repeat mistakes made under Ed Miliband.

She also said "there is no comfort blanket for us either in Labour victories or Labour defeats of the past" because "the world has changed".

Ms Cooper added: "Acerbic critiques and the rapid washing of hands won't make Labour win again. Nor will doing what we've done before but shouting that little bit louder.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Andy Burnham is one of four candidates vying to be the next Labour leader

"We can't repeat the narrow approach of the last five years. But nor should we think the answer is to swallow the Tory manifesto instead."

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said he would not stand for the party leadership because he had struggled to find the necessary backers and instead is backing Liz Kendall's campaign.

Ms Cooper has said she wants the leader election to include "as many people as possible" and not be a "closed-down or polarised contest".