David Miliband, the front-runner for the Labour leadership, with 38 declared supporters in the Commons, has met with female Labour MPs -- about a third of the parliamentary party -- and delivered a passionate speech in which he talked about the influence of "strong women" in his life.

In the speech he said:

One of the key planks of my campaign will be to look at the systemic issues preventing women from entering politics and break down those barriers so that women see it as a job for them, a job which suits their lifestyle and their ambitions.

I am lucky to be surrounded by a number of strong women in my life: my mother, my wife and key political advisers. They all tell me the same thing -- that we need a new kind of politics which promotes, supports and challenges women from the grass roots up. Only then will we see a change at the top.