Miliband makes his own ‘big offer’ to the Lib Dems
By Ian Dunt
Ed Miliband has held open the hand of friendship to the Lib Dems, as he attempted to exploit the tuition fees vote to undermine the coalition.
Speaking at his first monthly conference as opposition leader, Mr Miliband offered Liberal Democrats an offer to participate in the party policy review – a process which is typically an internal matter.
“There are many people who are disappointed and even ashamed” of the approach the coalition government has taken, Mr Miliband argued.
“To Liberal Democrats who fear their deal with the Tories has shifted the gravity of British politics to the right, I look forward to working with them.”
The Labour leader argued that David Cameron’s “big, open and comprehensive offer” for coalition with the Lib Dems was made to shield him from criticism of a right-wing government programme.
By setting up two avenues of cooperation – one for those wishing to leave the Lib Dems and another for those who were only willing to cooperate on policy formulation – Mr Miliband expects to maximise the disruption he can cause on the coalition benches.
The Labour leader is working with Richard Grayson, a former director of policy for the Liberal Democrats, in the policy review, which is being internally conducted by Liam Byrne.
The Lib Dem man had written an article praising Mr Miliband in yesterday’s Observer.
“Liberal Democrat members have more in common with members of the Labour party and the Greens than we do with our own leadership,” he wrote.
“Such commonalities are not new, but in the past, common ground with Labour leaders has been hard to find. With the election of Ed Miliband as Labour leader, that has changed.
“Ed Miliband is different because he is clearly on the centre-left, in the territory inhabited by social democrats and social liberals.”
But the Lib Dem leadership came down hard on the suggestion of cooperation.
“Labour have just spent 13 years sucking up to Rupert Murdoch and George Bush – why would any sane progressive even give them a second glance?” Liberal Democrat president-elect Tim Farron said.
Mr Miliband offered a light-hearted response to questions about his brother, who seemed to suggest that he retained his leadership ambitions for the future.
“I have no plans to return to frontline politics – at the moment that is,” the elder sibling told the Journal.
Asked about the quote, the Labour leader said he would welcome his brother returning.
It was confirmed today that Tom Baldwin, a Times journalist, would be taking over as Ed Miliband’s communication director, taking the same role for the new leader that Alistair Campbell took for Tony Blair.
The move will reassure critics of the Labour project who have been troubled by its apparent lack of direction.
