Exit David Miliband
By Ian Dunt
David Miliband has decided not to stand for the shadow Cabinet and will remain on the backbenches while his brother leads the Labour party.
The result, which was all but certain given the events of the last 24 hours, reduces the chances of further division at the top of the opposition party but will harm Ed Miliband’s ability to reassure centrist and right-of-centre voters.
In a letter to the chair of his constituency party in South Shields, David Miliband wrote: “The party needs a fresh start from its new leader, and I think that is more likely to be achieved if I make a fresh start.
“Having thought it through, and discussed it with family and friends I am absolutely confident it is the right decision for Ed, for the party, and for me and my family.
“This is now Ed’s party to lead and he must be able to do so as free as possible from distraction,” it continued.
“This is because of the simple fact that Ed is my brother, who has just defeated me for the party leadership. I genuinely fear perpetual, distracting and destructive attempts to find division where none exists, and splits where they don’t exist, all to the detriment of the party.”
David Miliband stands down: Full statement
Ed Miliband admitted Labour would have had a stronger team with his brother in it when he made a statement outside the Midlands Hotel this evening.
“He’s a massive talent for our party and indeed for our country and I’m certainly not going to hide that fact,” he said.
“We would have been a stronger team with him in it. He’s made a judgement about what’s the right decision for him. He didn’t want to see a repeat of politics that we’ve seen in the past.”
He continued: “He is my brother and as leader of my party my door is always open for him in the future, either in opposition or in government.”
Afterwards he tweeted: “My brother David has made a thoughtful, gracious decision today. I know he’ll make an important contribution to the country in the future.”
Behind the scenes, the new Labour leader got to work trying to heal some of the rifts in the party and ensuring the remaining figures were loyal to him.
He began by telling Nick Brown – a controversial Brownite figure thought to be a shoe-in for the chief whip post – that he wanted him to stand down.
He did so, to be replaced by Rosie Winterton, a unifying figure who ran unopposed.
Sources indicate her free run at the post was very much due to Ed Miliband’s influence.
Ed Miliband makes his first movet
The chances of David Miliband remaining in British frontline politics seemed vanishingly thin last night after he retreated to London and appeared today in casual clothes.
During his brother’s leadership speech yesterday, he was filmed leaning over to Harriet Harman during the section on Iraq and whispering: “You voted for it, why are you clapping?”
His evident discomfort at his brother’s statements on Iraq seemed to validate the arguments of those who argued his continued position in the shadow Cabinet would be the subject of furious speculation about whether he was building an alternative power base in the party.
The image of him walking through the front door of his home last night – the same house he grew up in with his brother – seemed symbolic of a decision to step out of British politics.
He appeared with his wife this afternoon by the front door for a photo shoot with gathered journalists.
The emergence of the shadow foreign secretary, wearing jeans and an untucked casual shirt during the Labour conference, cemented the impression that he would not apply for a shadow Cabinet position.
Unfortunately, the timing of the appearance, just as Ed Miliband was gearing up for a Q&A in Manchester, fuelled irritation at the way he had cast a shadow over the Labour conference.
The Tories were quick to seize on the decision as proof Labour was veering to the left.
Conservative chairman Baroness Warsi said: “David Miliband was a leading architect of New Labour. The fact that he doesn’t want a place in Ed Miliband’s shadow Cabinet speaks volumes about the direction in which the new leader is taking Labour.
“After being elected by the unions, this is further evidence that Ed Miliband is vacating the centre ground of British politics.”
Labour MPs have to put themselves forward for shadow Cabinet posts to be available for selection by the Labour leader. A total of 49 have stood for posts.
