Chuka Umunna withdraws Labour leadership bid

The Labour leadership race has been thrown into disarray after the frontrunner, Chuka Umunna, pulled out blaming the "scrutiny and attention" he had received in recent days.

Mr Umunna, shadow business secretary, had been the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Ed Miliband because of his slick persona and impressive communication skills.

His withdrawal from the race leaves just Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Mary Creagh and Liz Kendall fighting for control of a demoralised party struggling to comprehend its general election defeat.

In a statement released on Twitter, Mr Umunna said he was not comfortable with the scrutiny that a leadership contest would bring.

"As a member of the Shadow Cabinet, I am used to a level of attention which is part and parcel of the job. I witnessed the 2010 leadership election process close up and thought I would be comfortable with what it involved," he said.

"However since the night of our defeat last week I have been subject to the added level of pressure that comes with being a leadership candidate. I have not found it to be a comfortable experience."

The departure of Mr Umunna means that Ms Kendall is now the leading Blairite candidate. "She is our only chance of a fresh start," said one moderniser. "There was a hard choice for a lot of people and it's now a lot simpler."

Mr Umunna had launched his candidacy on Tuesday, saying he wanted to build a "big tent" of people from different backgrounds, creeds, colours, races, religions and economic circumstances.

He had released an amateurish Facebook video claiming that his party could return to power within five years under the right leadership. The video was shot in Swindon, the bellweather Wiltshire town.

Mr Umunna began his political career as a member of Compass, the left-wing pressure group. But the privately-educated former City lawyer had drifted towards a more conventionally Blairite position - rejecting much of the anti-business rhetoric of the Miliband era.

He had been criticised after it emerged that a Wikipedia entry comparing him to President Obama was created using a computer at the law firm where he once worked.

At the weekend he criticised the previous leadership, arguing it failed to focus on aspiration: "We cannot have a message that anybody is too rich or too poor to be a part of our party," he argued.

Lord Mandelson, co-architect of New Labour, never endorsed Mr Umunna but had signalled his approval, saying: "He's got a bit of a way to go but will get there."

Mr Umunna said in his statement on Friday that he was withdrawing his candidacy after a long period of reflection.

"One can imagine what running for leader can be like, understand its demands and the attention but nothing compares to actually doing it and the impact on the rest of one's life," he said.

"I apologise to all those who have kindly supported and encouraged me to do this and for disappointing them. I know this will come as I surprise to many but I had always wondered whether it was all too soon for me to launch this leadership bid - I fear it was."

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