Labour must be "credible" and
"electable" in order to win back power and realise its "high ideals",
former PM Gordon Brown has said.
Mr Brown said Labour must not become "a party of permanent protest".
He
said he was not attacking a leadership candidate, but some comments
appeared to warn against Jeremy Corbyn. Mr Corbyn's team said he was
most likely to engage non-Labour voters.
The other candidates are Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham.
Mr Brown's comments come as a poll suggested Mr Corbyn is considered the candidate most likely to worsen Labour's prospects of winning the next election.
Polls also suggest Mr Corbyn is the front-runner in the leadership race.
Mr Brown did not use Mr Corbyn's name but made it clear he disagreed with many of his economic and social policies.
Mr Brown said repeatedly that Labour could not become a party of protest
He said the UK must continue to build international alliances under a future Labour government.
He
added: "I have to say that if our global alliances are going to be
alliances with Hezbollah and Hamas and Hugo Chavez's Venezuela and
Vladimir Putin's Russia, there is absolutely no chance of building a
world-wide alliance that can deal with poverty and inequality and
climate change and financial instability, and we've got to face up to
that fact."
Mr Corbyn has previously described Hezbollah as "friends" and said that he wanted Hamas to be "part of the debate". Analysis: Alex Forsyth, political correspondent, BBC News
Gordon
Brown didn't need to mention Jeremy Corbyn's name for his message to be
understood; if he wins the leadership race Labour risks electoral
oblivion.
The warning was couched in more subtle terms than those
used previously by people who've called Mr Corbyn a potential car
crash, but it was no less potent.
Steeped in references to
Labour's past, this was a speech designed to tug heart strings from a
man who commands the attention of some on Labour's left.
The question will be whether it makes any difference.
Many
of Mr Corbyn's supporters say he provides an alternative to the current
political system - so they may not be swayed by the views of
established politicians. Mr
Brown also referred repeatedly to the need for Labour to become more
than a party of protest - while also warning it needed to be different
from the Tories.
"What I am here to say is that the best way of
realising our high ideals is to show that we have an alternative in
government that is credible, that is radical, and is electable - is
neither a pale imitation of what the Tories offer nor is it the route to
being a party of permanent protest, rather than a party of government,"
he said.
BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said part of
the speech was as much a "coded dig" at Ms Kendall as it was at Mr
Corbyn.
Mr Brown went on: "It is not a mistake to want power. It is not a mistake to do what is necessary to get back to power."
Media captionLiz Kendall MP: "Jeremy Corbyn is doing really well but I am not going to stop fighting for what I believe in"
The former MP also said the party had to offer "hope" to the public that it could be an alternative government.
"I believe that our vote is both a public duty and a sacred trust.
"It
is a public duty because we have got to show that the Labour Party can
be at the service of the country and that we can change society for the
better in the future," he said.
Last week, Mr Brown's predecessor at Number 10, Tony Blair, warned that Labour risked annihilation if it elected Mr Corbyn.
'Strong opposition'
A
spokesman for Mr Corbyn said he was the candidate "most likely to
engage with voters beyond Labour's existing supporters" and credibility
did not mean signing up to austerity.
Ms Cooper said it was "no good just being angry at the world if you can't change the world".
Mr Burnham said the country "needs a strong opposition" and Mr Brown and others "need to be listened to".
Earlier,
Ms Kendall insisted she had no intention of stepping aside in the race,
with polls suggesting she is lagging behind other candidates.
Mr
Brown spoke after a ComRes study of 2,035 adults in Britain, for the
Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror, found 31% of those polled
thought Mr Corbyn would worsen Labour's prospects of electoral success.
Mr Burnham was the poll's least damaging candidate.
Conversely though, 21% thought Mr Corbyn would be most likely to boost Labour's chances of winning the next election.
Labour leadership contest
Liz Kendall has been urged to back Andy Burnham or Yvette Cooper to defeat Jeremy Corbyn
Who are the candidates? Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn, Liz Kendall
Dates: Ballot papers were sent out on 14 August; voting
can take place by post or online. They must be returned by 10
September. The result is on 12 September
Who can vote? All party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters - including those joining via a union
What is the voting system? The Alternative Vote system is being used so voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference
How does it work? If no candidate gets 50% of all votes
cast, the candidate in fourth place is eliminated. Their second
preference votes are then redistributed among the remaining three. If
there is still no winner, the third place candidate is eliminated with
their second preferences (or third in the case of votes transferred from
the fourth place candidates) redistributed. It is then a head-to-head
between the last two candidates
Labour leadership poll
610,753
total electorate, though this may fall as party removes those not entitled to vote
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