Labour candidates look beyond result
By politics.co.uk staff
David Miliband and Ed Balls are among the Labour leadership candidates bracing themselves for defeat as Saturday’s result approaches.
Mr Miliband, the long-term frontrunner for the race, has reportedly sent representatives to rival Ed Miliband, to discuss the transition to the new regime should his younger brother steal the race at the last minute.
Meanwhile Mr Balls, the shadow education secretary, has begun openly lobbying for the shadow chancellor role.
Bookies are now backing Ed Miliband to win while one website, PoliticalBetting, has already called the election for him. But the race remains close and neither candidate can be certain of victory.
David Miliband is expected to swallow his pride and agree to work in the shadow Cabinet for his younger brother if he loses.
Aides are continuing to question whether he is able to stay in the junior position for long, however. “The issue is whether in six months or a year he decides to consider a life outside Westminster,” a source told the Guardian newspaper.
Mr Balls’ focus is on Alistair Darling’s current role. While he has not won over large swathes of Labour party members at any level he has won praise for arguing for an uncompromising approach to the coalition government’s public spending cuts.
“David and Ed Miliband in the last week have both cited [Mr Balls’] Bloomberg speech as something which has really socked it to George Osborne so on the big fundamental analysis I think we’re all in the same place,” he told the Telegraph newspaper.
He added: “If I was leader I think the most important thing to do is make sure you’ve got the best people around you and they’re in the jobs most suited for them.”
