I've just blogged for the first time about the forthcoming Labour leadership election at Labourhome. Thought you might like to see it. It's hard to imagine that it was 16 years this month that I ran for the leadership of the Labour Party. Back then whilst the papers predicted there'd be quite a few runners and riders, it only came down to three people - myself, the acting leader Margaret Beckett and some young guy called Tony Blair. It was the first leadership contest to be fought under ‘one member one vote' -...
Read 'Let's play the long game' >

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Read 'Good luck everyone' >

Well we finally completed our Unite4Labour Prescott Express tour of key seats across the country. We covered 71 seats and travelled 5,000 miles in the back of our Ford Transit van - and let me tell you I felt every pothole and bump! This was my fourth and last General Election battle bus tour following the ones in 1997, 2001, 2005. So it was fiting to revisit the first seat I ever visisted on my battle bus in 1997 for Clive Efford - and handy too. Our sat nav managed to pack in just...
Read 'Mission accomplished!' >

Hope you're all enjoying your Bank Holiday Monday, though this won't be a day of rest for the thousands of Labour activists knocking on doors, stuffing envelopes and canvassing voters. Our Prescott Express Tour enters its penultimate day today. We're off to Cleethorpes then back home to cover the three Hull seats. By the time we finish tomorrow in Eltham, we'll have covered 71 seats, made more than 140 speeches, attended more than 20 rallies and travelled 5,000 miles in our Ford Transit - that's the equivalent of travelling to John O Groats to Land's End...
Read 'Why we must Unite' >

I've been out on battle bus today with our special guest Harriet Harman. By the time we got to Wolverhampton, the Prescott Express passed 3,000 miles and our 35th constituency visit in 21 days. I finished off with a meeting with Unite shop stewards and a stump speech in the town centre. So I only just discovered in the last hour or so what happened to Gordon. Whilst the media are concentrating on what he said and the apology, the REAL story is how and why it happened. Yet again the dying Murdoch empire...
Read 'You can't buy our election, Murdoch' >

I'm in Telford today for the next leg of our Prescott Express tour. After rampaging Tory council candidates dressed in John Prescott masks, I've come to expect the unexpected! But bar that isolated incident, I've been bowled over by the response we're getting on the street. There's no love for Cameron and it really is all to play for. This is the first campaign since 1997 where we won't have national newspapers, other than the Mirror, on our side. I remember all too well how Murdoch's papers character assasinated Neil Kinnock in 1992...
Read 'It's the SON wot lost it' >

Well, it's been a bit of a day today. But after campaigning against the BNP for Margaret Hodge in Barking and Jon Cruddas in Dagenham, the last place I thought I'd find trouble woud be in Poplar! I was addressing supporters and members of the public just outside Jim Fitzpatrick's HQ on Chrisp St Market when two men dressed in John Prescott masks, started barging through the crowd. I tried to reason them but they seemed to be having none of it. In the skuffle they knocked down two women. I do hope the...
Read 'Not again!' >

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Read 'Game ON Dave' >

John Denham and I chew the fat at our Leaders Debate watch party at Swaythling Working Men's Club in Southampton. Felt a bit like Alan Hansen!...
Read 'Leader's Debate - Post-Match Analysis' >

Back on the Prescott Express again - and we're getting plenty of media bids to come on board. Thought the offer of Will Self from the Today programme was a joke. Amazed when they said it was true. But space is tight so we've had to politely decline. That and the fact we don't have a toilet on board. Today the Prescott Express visited the new £90m Falmer Stadium which will be the home for Brighton and Hove Albion from August 2011. I originally gave planning permission after a great campaign by the Seagulls...
Read 'SEAGULLS!' >