Rick Perry makes second bid for US president

Mr Perry announced his candidacy from a Dallas aeroplane hangar

Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas, has launched his campaign to earn the Republican nomination for US president.

At a rally in Dallas, the 65-year-old promised he would "end an era of failed leadership".

His 14-year tenure at the helm of the country's second largest state earned the socially conservative Christian a reputation for cutting spending.

This is his second bid for the White House.

His first was derailed by a very public moment of forgetfulness when in November 2011, he stumbled over the name of a government department he wanted to abolish, during a Republican debate.

Unable to remember the agency, he instead uttered the word, "oops".

He dropped out of the race two months later, during a period that his wife Anita described this week as a "dark time".

But his supporters point to the economic successes of Texas under his leadership as evidence of his talents.

Mr Perry made his announcement in a Dallas airplane hangar surrounded on stage by military supporters.

At the scene - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Dallas

Hundreds of supporters gathered in an un-airconditioned airplane hanger on a hot June Texas morning to listen to Rick Perry launch his presidential bid.

"Perry stands out because he's done the most," says Nancy Oliver, who came to the event with several handmade campaign signs.

During his speech, Mr Perry boasted of leading the world's 12th-largest economy and overseeing robust job growth. It's part of what he hopes to be his two main selling points - the economic health of the state under his leadership and his foreign policy expertise as a former Air Force pilot who has the support of military veterans.

"The economy, the jobs, and we didn't suffer too much here in Texas during this last downturn," said another in the crowd, Mark Easton, when asked why he backs Mr Perry. "What's not to like about that?"

That's Mr Perry's pitch. We'll see if voters outside Texas agree.

The word 'oops' haunted Perry's 2012 campaign

The speech began with his humble beginning on a farm in west Texas, and then moved on to his two terms as state governor.

"Leadership is not a speech on the Senate floor" Perry told supporters in attempt to distinguish his candidacy from other Republican contenders.

"It's not what you say. It's what you do."

In 2014, he was indicted by a grand jury on charges of abusing his power, which he denies.

Earlier on Thursday Mr Perry announced his candidacy by launching a new fundraising website.

He becomes the 10th Republican to join the race, with several big names still to jump in.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said on Thursday he will announce on 15 June.

Perry's boots made a regular appearance in his 2012 campaign