Hain invokes anti-apartheid past

The Northern Ireland Secretary will stress his campaigning background and strong convictions in a very personal appeal for support in the hotly-contested race.

Speaking at the launch event in central London, Mr Hain will say: "We need a campaigner as deputy who will inspire all those who share our values to come home to Labour, to join and vote for our party once again."

Mr Hain will describe how his own values were forged while growing up under the tyranny of apartheid in South Africa.

His parents were strong opponents of the regime and spent time in jail when he was just 10 because of their refusal to stay silent.

"I learned something I have never forgotten from the courage of my parents and the hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa and around the world who stood up to the evil of apartheid," Mr Hain will say.

"A belief in the power of people coming together to build a better world. A belief in what Robert Kennedy called the 'tiny ripples of hope which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance'."

While still in his early 20s, Mr Hain led demonstrations against the all-white South African rugby and cricket tours after the family moved to Britain in the 1970s.

His youthful experiences also sparked his involvement in the Labour movement.