David Miliband today tried to distance himself from Tony Blair after fears that his leadership bid was being damaged by the former prime minister's memoirs.
He sent an email to Labour members vowing to move the party on from the Blair-Brown era if he won control.
Backers believe he was damaged by the "heir to Blair" tag, particularly when Mr Blair used his memoirs to urge Labour not to move to the Left — seen as an attempt to bolster Mr Miliband against his chief rival, brother Ed.
But his email said that while he respected Mr Blair and Gordon Brown, "their time has passed".
He wrote: "I'm sick and tired of the caricature that this leadership election is a choice between rejecting or retaining New Labour.
"It does a disservice to all of the candidates and... to the thousands of members who've been participating in this contest over the last few months and working hard for years."
He expressed "deep respect" for Mr Blair and Mr Brown, but he added: "We need to stop their achievements being sidelined and their failings holding us back."
Mr Blair's book ripped open old divisions by attacking Mr Brown's record and character. He said Labour lost power because it "stopped being New Labour" and maintained it would suffer worse if it shifted further Left.
Ed Miliband has said he would reflect the views of members more accurately, signalling a move away from the Blair legacy He said Mr Blair "with others" was "stuck in a New Labour comfort zone".
Read More
MORE ABOUT