Andy Burnham said he was seeking a return to Westminster to “change Labour” as pressure continued to mount on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The Greater Manchester mayor hopes to be Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, which could provide him with a route back to Parliament to challenge for the party leadership and the keys to No 10.
Mr Burnham said Labour’s offer to voters had “simply not been good enough”.
In a speech at a northern investment summit in Leeds, he said: “I’m clear about what I am offering. If I get to stand, a vote for me will be a vote to change Labour, because Labour needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust.
“It will be a vote to make life more affordable again, a vote to power up places, a vote to reindustrialise.”
He promised a “new path which brings the country back together”, adding: “I know what my party has offered in the past has simply not been good enough.”
Mr Burnham said he was “not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU”, and warned against re-running the arguments of the Brexit years.
He said it was more important to “focus on what we’ve got in common” ahead of the by-election battle in the Leave-voting Makerfield seat.
He said there was a “bloated national state” and a “malnourished local one” as he argued for further devolution.
Mr Burnham said he wanted to “transfer power and resources back to local areas” if he is “returned to Parliament”.
