Labour's Lisa Nandy today declared she is "seriously thinking about" running for the party leadership as the heat turned up on the battle to succeed Jeremy Corbyn .
The Wigan MP said "I definitely have a contribution to make" in the first public confirmation by a possible contender.
Outspoken Corbyn critic Jess Phillips also broke cover today with an article saying a New Labour approach would be "delusional" but the party must "be brave" to "reconnect with working-class voters".
It means Labour could finally choose its first female leader in a race expected to kick off after Christmas and finish before Easter.
Apart from Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer most of the leading possible contenders are female, including Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner and Corbyn allies' choice Rebecca Long-Bailey.
Ms Nandy said Labour must regain its status as a coalition for both Lewisham and Leigh and "bring Labour home" to those who voted Tory. She also said she may vote for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal this week - if he allows scrutiny on a customs union at its committee stage in January.
She told BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "The reason I’m thinking about it is because we’ve just had the most shattering defeat where you really felt in towns like mine that the earth was quaking.
"And we’ve watched the entire Labour base just crumble beneath our feet."
The winner will rest heavily on who Labour's 500,000-strong, left-leaning membership, which more than doubled since Jeremy Corbyn ran for leader, swing behind.
Labour centrists are already urging those who share their values to sign up to membership of the party to get a vote.
That means the "freeze date" - the cut-off for how long-standing members have to be to get a vote - could be crucial.
In 2016, Labour's ruling NEC tried to block anyone who'd joined more recently than in 6 months from voting.
But the decision was overturned by Court of Appeal, something the new NEC - now dominated by the left - will have to consider.
Some left-wing figures are already circling around Rebecca Long-Bailey, with Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon privately putting himself forward as a candidate for deputy.
A source played down talk of a "joint ticket" but said: "Richard wants to see Rebecca as the next Labour leader."
That could see the Shadow Business Secretary running against her flatmate Angela Rayner for the top job.
One party figure said: "The real question is whether Angela and Beccy's friendship is strong enough to withhold the external pressure."
A Corbyn loyalist described Ms Long-Bailey as "the left's only hope" - but admitted they weren't "over-enthusiastic" about Mr Burgon.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey "could be a brilliant leader" before praising shadow cabinet ministers Angela Rayner, Richard Burgon and Dawn Butler.
Another Labour source predicted the race will be "a very crowded field, at least at first."
Ms Nandy, who has campaigned for left-behind towns, today called for Labour's headquarters to move out of London in order to reconnect the party with voters outside of the capital.
"We should move our party conferences back to towns as well as cities," she added.
She claimed it was "undoubtedly true" that Jeremy Corbyn is to blame for the devastating defeat after Labour won 203 seats in the general election , its worst showing since 1935.
But she said it was not a rejection of the ideas in the Labour manifesto, which internal polling for Labour claimed were popular with the public.
Instead, she said: "We've got to rediscover how we can earn people's trust in order to make that radical change that the country needs."
She said she would consider again voting for Boris Johnson's Withdrawal Agreement Bill to implement Brexit, as long as it does not guarantee a hard Brexit.
"I will vote for it on the basis that he and his team are willing to consider options like a customs union at committee stage - that was the basis on which I voted for it last time," she said.
"And I have reached out to members of his team. I would be surprised to be honest... I think we are looking at the hardest of hard Brexits and I will not vote for that."
She said she does trust Mr Corbyn and his team to oversee a "fair process" in finding the next leader.
