Dan Jarvis has told his allies that he won’t run for the Labour leadership, the Mirror reports:
Dan Jarvis announced tonight he would not be standing for the Labour leadership.
The former army major who served two tours in Afghanistan was considered one of the favourites for the job.
But an ally said he wanted to put his family first.
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The Barnsley Central MP, who has three young children, recently remarried after losing his first wife Caroline to cancer.
The unnamed ally said: “Dan wants to help Labour in any way he can but he needs to put his children first.”
Jarvis’ decision leaves the race so far between Chuka Umunna, Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper. (Kendall confirmed that she would stand in an interview with Andrew Neill today, while Umunna will officially launch later this week. Yvette Cooper – whose aides have already registered a website in her name – will launch her bid within the coming days.
It also means that Jarvis will likely be promoted to shadow Secretary of State for Culture in Harriet Harman’s coming reshuffle.