Umunna: We failed to speak to 'aspirational middle-class'

Labour shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has suggested his party's failure to speak to "aspirational middle-class" voters during the campaign period may have contributed to their election loss.

Writing in an article for The Observer today Umunna, who has been tipped as a potential contender for Labour's newly vacant leadership post said his party had "allowed the impression to arise that we were not on the side of those who are doing well."

He said: "We spoke to our core voters but not to aspirational, middle-class ones. We talked about the bottom and top of society, about the minimum wage and zero-hour contracts, about mansions and non-doms. But we had too little to say to the majority of people in the middle.

"We allowed the impression to arise that we were not on the side of those who are doing well. We talked a lot - quite rightly - about the need to address 'irresponsible' capitalism, for more political will to tackle inequality, poverty and injustice ... But we talked too little about those creating wealth and doing the right thing."