David Blunkett: My tips for new Labour leader on the daunting task ahead

The first answer is about wanting to make a difference and each contender believing that they are the one who can turn things around.

The second is more complex. Anyone can talk about the need for "change". Actually knowing what that change is all about and developing a vision that people feel is of relevance to them is entirely another matter.

Self-evidently, the new leader must establish that they have leadership skills. That means having a narrative of what the coalition is doing and, crucially, why they are doing it. It also means developing an alternative programme for government that can be built upon in the years ahead and which relates to the day-to-day needs and aspirations of the people we seek to serve.

Understanding what the coalition is about and explaining to the public the ideology behind the rhetoric of the "necessity" of draconian cuts – is vital if Labour is to regain economic credibility.

It is also vital to understand the way in which the world is changing around us. The idea peddled by some that we can somehow "regulate" international global markets from Westminster demonstrates not only naivet, but a gross and unforgivable lack of appreciation about where political power lies – and how best, here and across Europe, to face

that reality.

It is also critical that the new leader puts forward ideas which do not benchmark the world of tomorrow against the arguments of Old or New Labour.

After the scorched earth policy which is about to hit us, we will need to rebuild in our own image and ideas, rooted back to the beginnings of the Labour Party.

Here in Yorkshire, we have already seen the demolition of the regional Government office and regional development agency and the threat – to be reinforced on October 20 in George Osborne's Comprehensive Spending Review statement to the Commons – of a massive reduction in public investment.

Building a new alliance between locally and nationally elected representatives and the business community will be vital. Understanding what is needed for the lifeblood of Yorkshire, its economic, social and cultural life, will be an imperative for us.

For the new leader of the Opposition, this will have to be mirrored

across Britain, with the nuances of a parliament in Scotland, an assembly in Wales and a mayor in London who has retained his development agency and is demanding more, rather than less, public

money.

It's a daunting task. So here are some practical tips for the new leader.

Firstly, be prepared to take decisions. We can argue with the ones we don't like; it's impossible to argue with someone who cannot make their mind up.

Secondly, surround yourself with good people who are prepared to tell you the truth – not just those who echo your own voice.

Thirdly, don't cabal. We've all had enough of clever organisation, of manoeuvring and of fixing things. We need to have genuine debate and win each other over.

Fourthly: be a leader for the country, not just a Labour faction. If we're going to win back those "missing millions" from the South, as well as arrest the drop in the Labour vote in Yorkshire, then we are going to have to do more than simply talk the right language.

The new leader will have to be brave, including on policy. Bravery will involve talking again about genuinely devolving. Not a gesture, which actually results in more of the decision-making happening in Whitehall and Westminster; but, for instance, the establishment of regional and local banks. The idea (and Iain Duncan Smith is at least willing to think about this) of devolving the welfare budget – within sensible bounds of consistency – across the UK, so that money can be applied to preventing and redeeming, and not merely ameliorating, poverty.

Radical thinking in terms of the role of local government, which faces decimation over the next three years, will be vital to reinforcing those local credentials and the genuine belief that the Opposition should espouse: that people really do need to be able to feel and experience making decisions for themselves.

The coalition Government, reliant as it is on the votes of the South

and East, is neglecting Yorkshire. While a new Labour leader must reach out to the lost voters of the South, we cannot tolerate Yorkshire being sidelined.

I shall be saying more about this in a few weeks' time. But it is critical that Labour speaks for this great county, for our heritage and for our willingness to work together, to strive to ensure the economic prosperity of our region.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution – that should be a clear message from this Saturday onwards.

Labour should reach out to those alienated by the overbearing state, but must be determined that we put mutuality and co-operation at the top of the agenda. We must once again see Yorkshire as a beacon for progress, for prosperity and, yes, for self-reliance.

David Blunkett is Labour MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough and a former Home Secretary.