Lisa Nandy has branded Labour’s Brexit policy as a “disaster” as she tried to close the gap with Keir Starmer in Labour’s leadership race.
With polls showing that Mr Starmer would win the race in the first round, Ms Nandy launched her most sustained criticism of her opponent to date.
It comes after a poll for Sky News showed that the Shadow Brexit Secretary would win 53% in the first round.
Left-winger Rebecca Long Bailey is behind Mr Starmer on 31%, with Wigan MP Lisa Nandy trailing on 16%.
Asked about what led to Labour’s defeat Ms Nandy said there was “there’s no question” that Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership “came up on the doorstep”.
But the Wigan MP also said that Brexit had been mention by voters “over and over and over again”.
Asked if Mr Starmer, the Shadow Brexit secretary was to blame for that, Ms Nandy said there “collective failure of leadership” and branded the policy an “absolute disaster”.
She added that “Leavers thought we were Remainers, where Remainers thought we were Leavers”.
Ms Nandy also criticised Mr Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey over the party leadership’s handling of Britain’s anti-Semitism crisis.
She told the audience: “I spoke up about this when I was in the shadow cabinet, it was the only time I broke collective responsibility.
“I am half-Indian and I know what racism feels like.”
But Mr Starmer branded the idea the Shadow Cabinet did nothing as “nonsense” and said the issue had caused “massive rows” inside Labour’s leadership.
“Rebecca didn’t speak out in the same way as I did,” he added.
Ms Long-Bailey said she is “not pointing fingers” but says she did speak up about the issue.
“The time for retrospective criticism of each other has gone, we are in a crisis.”