LABOUR activists have called for an anti-austerity figure to enter the party’s leadership race amid “widespread dismay” over the “uninspiring” crop of candidates.

The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy said there was a “desperate” need for a working-class anti-austerity candidate committed to reviving Labour “as a movement” and “ending the centralisation of power within the party.”

Following a meeting of its executive, the pressure group agreed to urge former shadow cabinet minister Jon Trickett, who previously ruled himself out of the contest, to re-enter.

Mr Trickett indicated to the Star yesterday that he was unlikely to stand, but added: “There should be a candidate who can unify the left and tackle the Tories’ lies over the need for austerity.”

Others have suggested that east London MP Diane Abbott quit the race for the capital’s mayoralty and instead run for leader.

Any challenger would need to secure the endorsements of 35 MPs to make the ballot paper — which would probably require supporters of other candidates to “lend” them their nominations in the interests of a fair fight. 

It was this practice that allowed Ms Abbott to join the leadership race in 2010.

Some leftwingers, such as Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery, who was himself tipped to run, have endorsed Andy Burnham.

But in an article for the Left Futures blog, CLPD assistant secretary Jon Lansman said an anti-austerity presence in the contest could encourage existing candidates, in particular Mr Burnham and Yvette Cooper, to think outside the box.

“With no left candidate putting an anti-austerity case, there is no chance of them showing any more courage than their predecessors, nor of them properly exposing the reasons Labour lost this election,” Mr Lansman wrote.

Yesterday he told the Star: “After a number of leftwingers ruled themselves out, we went through a period of thinking we wouldn’t have a left candidate.

“But we’ve now seen the effect of that — the candidates the left was thinking of backing are directing all their attention to winning the contest on the right, which means they’re tacking right.”

A petition calling for the next Labour leader to take an anti-austerity stance had been signed by 2,655 people by yesterday evening.