FLAGGING Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham attempted to break with the negative mood of the campaign yesterday by arguing that the party must “inspire people with our ideas” to win.

Mr Burnham, considered the frontrunner until the current surge in support for leftwinger Jeremy Corbyn, said he had become “increasingly disillusioned” with Labour’s drift away from voters.

His intervention came as acting leader Harriet Harman insisted the party was rooting out “bogus” supporters, after Sunday newspapers reported a “hard left infiltration” of the party to support Mr Corbyn.

Making a pitch to the left, Mr Burnham said: “This week marks the 70th anniversary of the election of the Attlee government.

“You would think that would be cause for joyous celebration, but I mark it with a sad realisation that the modern Labour Party could not have created the NHS.”

He then addressed Mr Corbyn’s success directly.

“The worst possible response to his impact is to resort to negativity and dire warnings of ‘oblivion’,” he said.

“What our members are telling us is that they are yearning for a different style of politics from Labour and a break with the bad habits of the past. They are sick of politicians speaking in soundbites, sticking to the script and looking like they don’t believe a word they are saying.”

Ms Harman said a hit squad of 48 workers was listening to recordings of phone calls in which trade unionists signed up as supporters.

She said the party had asked constituency membership secretaries to check data on new supporters against voter ID information and their local knowledge.

“We are policing the integrity of this process,” Ms Harman said.