Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry has said she will throw her hat in the ring to replace Jeremy Corbyn .
In an article for The Guardian, Ms Thornberry said she is best placed to beat Boris Johnson because she has "pummeled" him across the dispatch box.
The London based Remainer rejected calls that the party leader must come from the north of England.
Instead she said the leader should be picked on their "political nous and strategic vision".
She reveals in her article that she had opposed Labour backing the recent election - saying it would hand Boris Johnson a campaign on his term, namely Brexit.
She branded the support for the poll "crackers voting for Christmas”.
In her article she wrote: “Listening to Labour colleagues on the media over the last week, I have repeatedly heard the refrain that the problem we faced last Thursday was that ‘this became the Brexit election’.
"To which I can only say I look forward to their tweets of shock when next Wednesday’s lunch features turkey and Brussels sprouts.
"I wrote to the leader’s office warning it would be ‘an act of catastrophic political folly’ to vote for the election, and set out a lengthy draft narrative explaining why we should not go along with it.
“I argued that the single issue of Brexit should not be enough to give Johnson a five-year mandate to enact his agenda on every issue.
"Instead, I said we should insist on a referendum on his proposed deal, to get the issue of Brexit out of the way before any general election.”
Her announcement follows a high profile bust-up with ousted Labour MP Caroline Flint who claimed she had called Brexit voters stupid.
A furious Ms Thornberry said it was untrue and has said she is launching legal action against Ms Flint.
It comes just hours after Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer also announced he would be standing in the contest.
Lisa Nandy, Clive Lewis and David Lammy have all hinted they are considering a bid.
Corbyn ally Rebecca Long-Bailey is understood to be planning a tilt at the job - with rumours circulating she will sit on a joint ticket with Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner.
