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Leftwing Labour MP Diane Abbott today formally threw her hat into the ring for the party's mayoral selection contest.

The influential former frontbencher pledged to be a "genuinely independent minded" mayor should she make it to City Hall - shrugging off the baggage of her party's defeat at the general election.

Ms Abbott, who was returned in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat with a huge majority of 25,000, is known for her plain-speaking approach.

She was one of the few MPs to publicly reveal doubts about Ed Miliband's leadership when she admitted last year that most of her fellow Labour MPs were worried he was heading for defeat.

Her campaign will focus on tackling growing inequality in the capital, a key Labour message which is thought to have had strong traction in the national contest.

She will also pinpoint the shortage of affordable housing as the key driver of a spiralling cost of living crisis and highlight the importance of working with business to meet London’s challenges.

Ms Abbott told the Standard: “Hard times call for a campaigning Mayor. Now more than ever our city needs a Mayor who will stand up for the interests of those increasingly left behind.

"But, as the MP for Hackney, I have always worked to bring all our communities together. And that is the kind of Mayor that I will be.

"Above all I will be the genuinely independently minded Mayor that London needs.”

Ms Abbott's entry into the contest pits her against front-runner Tessa Jowell and London MPs David Lammy, as well as transport expert Christian Wolmar. Cooperative party chair Gareth Thomas is also considering running.

Nominations open today and the successful candidate in what is certain to be a fiercely fought race will be announced at the end of July.