Andy Burnham will be flying out to Northern Ireland tomorrow making him the first Labour leadership contender to visit Northern Ireland. His air miles are being used to thank Northern Ireland’s Labour Party for nominating him as their candidate — the first time they have ever backed anyone (well, being newly formed they’ve only had one chance!). However, today Labour’s Jon Cruddas argued in the New Statesman that "Labour needs to build a specifically English strategy" which concentrates on winning back English voters rather than ones across the entirety of the UK. This raises the question: are English votes more important to the Labour Party than non-English ones?

David Miliband supporter William Bain is the MP for Glasgow North and, quite surprisingly for a Scottish minister, tells Total Politics that: "Labour needs to re-engage with communities across the country, but particularly in the Midlands, and the south and east of England, where we hold a tiny number of seats." He believes that this is the only way for Labour to be in government. "Not old Labour, not new Labour, but winning Labour."

If Cruddas and Bain are right, then Labour can only win by directing their concentrations towards English voters — Cruddas even wants to form an English Labour Party. I’m not sure that the correct message the leadership contenders should be sending out it that, by staying grounded, they are reflecting a new, “winning Labour”.

Yet, while they may be being pragmatic, Cruddas and Bain should tread a little more carefully. By trying to extend support, they risk losing it where they already have it. As an SDLP spokesman diplomatically tells us: "It is important for opposition and government MPs to keep up to date with Northern Ireland affairs."

With Burnham limping along in the leadership contest, no wonder he’s off to Northern Ireland. The Milibands may be popular in England but that shorts factory Burnham is visiting in Northern Ireland could make all the difference.

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