What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

At this crucial time for the future of our country, all of us in the Labour movement have a duty to ensure that those with the least do not lose the most from Brexit.

Let us be honest though, it has been a tough time for Labour recently.

Our reputation has been damaged and our credibility undermined.

But despite our troubles, Labour is worth fighting for.

Because over the past century our movement has been the most powerful force for good in the country.

But if we are to regain the public’s trust we must sort ourselves out and demonstrate that we are the people who understand the challenges the country faces.

(Image: PA / Getty Images)

We must demonstrate leadership in navigating what Brexit will mean for millions of working people who worry about their future and feel left behind.

These negotiations will be long and complex and represent a huge test for our political establishment.

The Labour leadership must measure up to this historic challenge.

Failure to do so will leave working people without a voice and an effective opposition to hold the Government to account.

So today I cast my vote in the Labour leadership contest for Owen Smith.

He can unite our party and provide the principled and effective leadership that Labour needs to win back the trust of the British people.

(Image: Evening Gazette / Ian McIntyre)

Jeremy Corbyn failed to show the necessary leadership through a defining moment in the history of our country.

When Clement Attlee and Ernest Bevin served in Churchill’s War Cabinet they put the national interest first.

Instead of following that example, Labour’s EU referendum campaign was undermined by Jeremy’s lack of leadership – made worse by a failure to demonstrate the basic competence that is required for effective opposition.

We must be mindful that scrutiny of our leader and our party today is nothing compared to the microscopic examination of a General Election campaign.

The warning signs are clear and countless conversations I have had on doorsteps in Barnsley and across the country reveal the scale of the challenge we face.

Opinion polls predict a greater defeat in the next election than the last.

We are unprepared for an early election against a renewed, resourced and ruthless Tory machine.

We can only put that right with new leadership.

(Image: Jeff J Mitchell)

We should however, recognise our current difficulties did not begin and will not end with Jeremy Corbyn.

Our party became too focused on Westminster and distracted by its cliques.

Jeremy deserves credit for changing a culture where insider politics trumped the rightful role of members.

But I am supporting Owen because we need a leader who can realise our potential as a campaigning force to deliver real change to local communities – someone who can lift us out of the political comfort-zone and get us ready for the challenges ahead.

The purity of perpetual protest offers only the road to electoral annihilation and the reality is that we can only deliver real change by exercising our Labour values in government.

Millions around the country are depending on us to win again.

We need a leader with broad appeal, who can reach out across the country and who aspires to sit inside Downing Street, not demonstrate outside.

Whoever wins the contest must demonstrate the leadership to address the huge challenges we face:

Firstly, we must not allow Brexit to be defined only by the Tories.

That would be bad for Britain and for working people.

Our leader should seek a formal role for the opposition in the Brexit negotiations, as part of a process involving trades unions, devolved government, business and civil society.

Secondly, we must hold the Tories to account and build support across the country.

(Image: Getty)

The local and Mayoral elections next year provide an important measure of our progress towards electability.

Labour must get into a position to compete in a General Election.

Finally, the leader must work constructively to unite our party so that Labour can once again command the confidence of the country.

Many Labour party members have spent the summer reflecting on a turbulent year and thinking about how to cast their vote.

One I spoke with recently told me the real enthusiasm she felt after voting to elect Jeremy Corbyn last year.

But her conclusion today is somewhat different: “I’ve waited my whole life for a socialist country that I now accept Jeremy cannot deliver. I just want to see a Labour Government before I die.”

There are no easy answers to the challenges we face as a party and a country, but the starting point is new leadership to renew our party and earn the opportunity to serve our country.

Only then can Labour deliver real change for working people.

That is why Labour is worth fighting for.

Dan Jarvis is the Labour MP for Barnsley Central