Gilmore announces bid for Labour leadership

The Dún Laoghaire TD Eamon Gilmore has formally announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Labour Party.

Mr Gilmore, who is favourite to succeed Pat Rabbitte, said he would be asking members for a mandate to lead "the renewal of Labour in Ireland".

His chances of becoming leader were boosted yesterday after former deputy leader Brendan Howlin, one of the pre-race favourites, declared he would not run.

Labour's chief whip Emmet Stagg has backed the bid, saying he believed Mr Gilmore was best placed to lead the party at this stage in the run up to the local and European elections in June 2009 and the next Dail election in 2012.

Mr Howlin's decision is also likely to boost the prospects of finance spokeswoman Joan Burton, who is due to make an announcement later this week.

Other possible leadership contenders who have yet to declare their intentions include Dublin North East TD Tommy Broughan, Dublin North West TD Róisín Shorthall and acting leader Liz McManus.

Mr Rabbitte resigned as leader last week following a disappointing general election in which the party failed to make the hoped-for breakthrough.

In a statement today, Mr Gilmore said the party needed to "reaffirm and re-assert the core values of Labour as the most relevant guiding principles for our modern times, and to have confidence in our principles".

He also spoke of the need to relate Labour's values to the realities of modern life.

Mr Gilmore said he wanted to renew and revitalise the party's organisation, especially at local and constituency levels. "The project which I propose, is not confined to the party itself. Our country needs new and relevant politics, based on ideas and substance, rather than just image and spin," he added.

Mr Gilmore, who ran for the leadership in 2002, insisted the party should aim to win close to 30 seats at the next general election. He said the party needed to build an active campaigning organisation in every constituency and was capable of winning a seat in every constituency within two elections.

Mr Gilmore said Labour needed to break free of its "half-party" mindset, which he said "others impose on us - and which, sometimes, we inflict on ourselves."

"Labour must reach out and be relevant in all parts of our country and every strand of society while always remaining true to our core social democratic values of equality and justice."

To achieve this, Mr Gilmore, said he intended to provide an open style of leadership, which consults and involves and "which leads our party in dialogue with our electorate and support base and with the wider public".

Yesterday Limerick East TD Jan O'Sullivan announced she was putting her name forward for the post of deputy leadership.

Cork South Central TD Ciarán Lynch TD said today he was considering entering the race for deputy leader. Mr Lynch said he had been approached by a number of party members around the country encouraging him to put his name forward to contest.