Tweeters have lambasted the media over the alleged doorstepping of Chuka Umunna's family which forced him to quit the Labour leadership race.
The Streatham MP pulled out today citing excessive scrutiny of his private life, including reporters showing up at the door of his girlfriend's 102-year-old grandmother.
Social media users called it "very sad" and "a damning indictment of our despicable gutter press".
Umunna's team were confident that he would secure the 35 nominations from fellow MPs required to mount a leadership bid, but he decided that it was not the right time for him to press ahead.
He is not at this stage endorsing any other candidate for the leadership.
Umunna, who said he hoped to remain a member of the shadow cabinet, apologised to those who supported his bid and said he had always harboured doubts about whether he was ready to step up to the biggest role.
"I apologise to all those who have kindly supported and encouraged me to do this and for disappointing them. I know this will come as a surprise to many but I had always wondered whether it was all too soon for me to launch this leadership bid - I fear it was.
"Most importantly, I continued to have very real concerns and worry about this bid's impact on those close to me.
"I intend to carry on playing my full role as a proud member of our shadow cabinet taking on the Tories.
"I also hope to play a leading role in Labour's campaign to keep the UK in the EU during the forthcoming referendum, which is absolutely crucial. Most importantly, I will as ever continue to serve the area I know and love - the Streatham parliamentary constituency."
Who is Chuka Umunna?
Second to declare(01 of12)
Open Image ModalHe was the first black shadow cabinet member in Britain ever appointed.... in 2011 (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Young gun(02 of12)
Open Image ModalAged 36, Umunna is considerably younger than the other prospective Labour leaders: Andy Burnham is 45, Yvette Cooper 46, Liz Kendall 43 and Angela Eagle 54. (credit:Rui Vieira/PA Wire)
Majority man(03 of12)
Open Image ModalHe became the MP for Streatham in the 2010 General Election with a majority of more than 3,000, which increased substantially to over 13,000 in the 2015 election. He has been shadow business secretary since 2011. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
On Obama(04 of12)
Open Image ModalDoes the Barack Obama comparison annoy him? “It’s very flattering to be compared to President Obama… but it’s not a comparison I have encouraged” (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
One nation(05 of12)
Open Image ModalHe has previously said he supports "One Nation Labour", a concept espoused by Ed Miliband from 2012. It relates to a phrase used by Tory Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, to suggest a politics that supports and idea of uniting Britain across class barriers. (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Mistakes(06 of12)
Open Image ModalIn 2013 he was forced to apologise after being accused of hypocrisy when he accepted a £20,000 gift from a gambling executive, while he was campaigning against the growing number of betting shops in his constituency of Streatham. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Father(07 of12)
Open Image ModalHe was born in Streatham, to a Nigerian father who was part of the Igbo ethnic group from the South East of the country. Umunna's father died in a road accident in Nigeria in 1992. (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
Mother(08 of12)
Open Image ModalHis mother, who is white British, is the daughter of the late Helenus Milmo QC, a notable lawyer who was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, where members of Nazi Germany's WWII regime were charged. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Chorister(09 of12)
Open Image ModalAs a child, Umunna was a chorister at Southwark Cathedral in South London. He studied law at the University of Manchester and Nottingham Law School, becoming a solicitor specialising in employment law. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Compass(10 of12)
Open Image ModalFrom 2006 he started writing about the Labour party, often as part of the lobbying group Compass, which is aligned with Labour, and then founded a political magazine called The Multicultural Politic. (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
Ed Mili-fan(11 of12)
Open Image ModalFrom 2010 to 2011, he served as Ed Miliband's Parliamentary Private Secretary, after proposing Miliband as the successor to Gordon Brown. Umunna, who backed Miliband for the Labour leadership in 2010, has been emphatic in his support for his former boss: “I would trust Ed with my life.” (credit:Rui Vieira/PA Wire)
The field(12 of12)
Open Image ModalUmunna could also face heavyweights such as Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper, who are considered possible candidates.
Former shadow cabinet minister Angela Eagle has said she is considering running for the role, as the party comes to terms with its unexpected general election defeat.
Umunna, the second candidate to formally throw his hat in the ring after shadow health minister Liz Kendall, said he had held back from making his announcement while he spoke to defeated candidates from the party's disastrous election performance. (credit:PA/PA Wire)