The curtains now closed on Gordon Brown’s government, the stage is set for a new Labour leadership contest. Thus far, the cast already includes players long since predicted to bid for the title: Ed and David Miliband and Ed Balls; others such as Andy Burnham may well follow suit.

Absent from the programme, however, is Dagenham MP and ‘free-thinking leftwinger’ Jon Cruddas, who earlier this week announced his decision not to enter the contest. “The role of leader”, he notes, “is one of the greatest honours imaginable – but it is not a bauble to aspire for. It is a duty to fulfil.” 

Cruddas’s decision will no doubt come as a disappointment to many, especially those who see him as a valued and vocal advocate of progressive politics; who refused a seat in the last Cabinet and remained independent of ‘Brownite’/‘Blairite’ tribal loyalties. For some, he bridged divides between lower-income voters – of whom Labour lost so many in this month’s election – and the middle classes that New Labour’s original architects worked so hard to reach out to. 

Nonetheless, the decision may indeed be the right one. Jon Cruddas may well be among the most exciting politicians on the centre-left, but that does not automatically make him leadership – or, for that matter, Prime Minister – material. However, had he decided to run he would have inevitably thrown the race wide open; his candidacy could have been refreshing and different.

Much speculation will now brew over who Cruddas intends on backing. But the scramble for the crown risks diverting much-needed attention away from more pressing matters: the re-assessment, re-evaluation, and – in the words of David Miliband – “serious rehabilitation” that Labour, now in opposition, badly needs to undergo.

The post-election political scene has changed dramatically. Labour will have to go back to its script, reconsider its audience and appoint a new director. These are things that cannot be rushed and should involve some serious discussion with the wider public – not just the party faithful, but the dejected and departed too. Such reflection must be real and open. After all, as Jon Cruddas points out: “People appreciate honest speaking”.     

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