I would say he is the seriously best skilled one to take this on , I fear Labour maybe obsessed with picking a particular northern based gender leader , as its seen as the right thing to do, rather than focussing on selecting the best skilled candidate to deliver effective oppistion , this is about to become the most crtical decision in Labours lifetime.
I also think they should wait and seek more membership from a broader spectrum of supporters to ensure there is a balance of view.