The Rightful Brother

The Rightful Brother
A History of the Labour Party (2010-present)

Prologue (September 2010)

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David and Ed Miliband embracing on the stage after the announcement that David has won over Ed in the final round of the Labour leadership election, 25th September 2010

"Friends,

Thank you for placing your trust in me to lead this great party, this great movement, as we begin the fight against the policies and values of this Coalition government and as we begin the fight to convince the country as a whole that the beliefs, principles and values of the Labour Party are the ones that we need back in government. It is a great honour to be chosen to lead an institution so great as the Labour Party, and an even greater honour to be entrusted with the vital task of restoring our principles to power. "


- Opening Excerpt of the speech given by David Miliband upon his election as Leader of the Labour Party, 25th September 2010

"David Miliband had been widely considered as the natural successor to Gordon Brown since at least 2007 in some arguments. He was young, relatively charismatic, and had senior experience from his time as Foreign Secretary. He also represented a bright future for the Blairite wing of the party who had endured three gruelling years of Gordon Brown. Lastly, but not least, David Miliband was the candidate seen as being most likely to best the newly elected David Cameron on leadership abilities and the most likely to return Labour to power.

With such an advantage in perception terms, in tandem with a significant advantage amongst the PLP and general membership, it was a surprise at how narrow Miliband's victory actually was. In the end, he prevailed over his brother, Ed Miliband, by 53.33% to 46.67%, a margin of 6.6% of the vote, the narrowest margin of victory for any Labour leader since Foot in 1980. Despite his significant advantages in terms of the PLP and general membership, I'd wager that David Miliband very nearly lost the Labour leadership, and the only reason he won it was not due to his own strategy, but rather those of Ed Balls.

The former Schools Secretary had waged an effective courting campaign of union bosses since the start of June, wary of the appeal that Ed Miliband would have towards them and their members. The process was difficult and brutally contested between the camps of the two Eds, but with the efforts of a union relations team in the Balls campaign led by Charlie Whelan, a close ally and influential union figure, Balls was able to secure the endorsements of the Unison and Unite leaderships. Whilst this was enough to secure Balls a healthy lead on affiliated member votes until his elimination in the fourth round, the weakness of his campaign amongst the PLP and general membership compared to Ed Miliband, ensured that Balls finished third, as opposed to being in the final runoff.

Whilst initially it would have been assumed that the bulk of the affiliated members vote would go to Ed Miliband in such a scenario, fewer than expected actually did and a surprising amount switched to David Miliband instead, likely due to a dislike between the two Eds that emerged during the union negotiations which spurred the Balls campaign to advocate David Miliband as a second preference. The end result was that Ed Miliband was locked out of the Labour Leadership. Indeed, whilst this question at present may only be pondered by scholars of politics, it is likely in my view that had Balls not done so well in negotiations with the unions and animosity between his camp and that of Ed Miliband not been so high, the end result would have seen more affiliate member votes go to Ed Miliband, enabling him to score a narrow victory over his brother. It's a topic still hotly debated amongst Labour figures, but now it's a mere casual conversation as opposed to a serious debate."


- From New Labour Mark II? The Rise of David Miliband by Andrew Rawnsley, 2011

@bbcnews Breaking: David Miliband elected as Labour Leader by 53.3% in fourth round over 46.7% for closest rival Ed Miliband

- From the BBC News Twitter account on September 25th 2010

"For fuck's sake, we're stuck with that arrogant fucking cock for the next five years"

- Quote attributed to an anonymous Labour MP overheard an hour after the result was declared.

First Round
MPs/MEPs
Diane Abbott: 7 (0.86%)
Ed Balls: 42 (5.2%)
Andy Burnham: 24 (2.97%)
David Miliband: 111 (13.78%)
Ed Miliband: 82 (10.17%)
Labour Party members
Diane Abbott: 8,329 (2.21%)
Ed Balls: 21,403 (5.68%)
Andy Burnham: 10,743 (2.85%)
David Miliband: 55,932 (14.85%)
Ed Miliband: 27,837 (7.39%)
Affiliated Members
Diane Abbott: 24,392 (3.86%)
Ed Balls: 61,382 (9.71%)
Andy Burnham: 17,896 (2.83%)
David Miliband: 47,403 (7.50%)
Ed Miliband: 57,271 (9.06%)
Total
Diane Abbott: 6.93%
Ed Balls: 20.59%
Andy Burnham: 8.65%
David Miliband: 36.13%
Ed Miliband: 26.62%
Diane Abbott eliminated

Second Round
MPs/MEPs
Ed Balls: 42 (5.20%)
Andy Burnham: 28 (3.47%)
David Miliband: 111 (13.76%)
Ed Miliband: 85 (10.54%)
Labour Party members
Ed Balls: 23,493 (6.32%)
Andy Burnham: 13,092 (3.52%)
David Miliband: 56,002 (15.07%)
Ed Miliband: 29,984 (8.07%)
Affiliated Members
Ed Balls: 71,894 (11.68%)
Andy Burnham: 19,007 (3.08%)
David Miliband: 49,220 (7.99%)
Ed Miliband: 62,932 (10.19%)
Total
Ed Balls: 23.18%
Andy Burnham: 10.06%
David Miliband: 36.79%
Ed Miliband: 28.78%
Andy Burnham eliminated

Third Round
MPs/MEPs
Ed Balls: 45 (5.58%)
David Miliband: 126 (15.62%)
Ed Miliband: 95 (11.78%)
Labour Party members
Ed Balls: 28,655 (7.77%)
David Miliband: 60,804 (16.49%)
Ed Miliband: 32,172 (8.72%)
Affiliated Members
Ed Balls: 81,562 (13.28%)
David Miliband: 54,765 (8.92%)
Ed Miliband: 66,203 (10.57%)
Total
Ed Balls: 26.63%
David Miliband: 41.03%
Ed Miliband: 31.07%
Ed Balls eliminated

Fourth Round
MPs/MEPs
David Miliband: 148 (18.35%)
Ed Miliband: 118 (14.63%)
Labour Party members
David Miliband: 68,921 (20.78%)
Ed Miliband: 40,479 (12.21%)
Affiliated Members
David Miliband: 85,304 (14.20%)
Ed Miliband: 112,764 (18.78%)
Total
David Miliband: 53.33%
Ed Miliband: 46.67%
David Miliband elected as Leader of the Labour Party
 
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Chapter 1 (October 2010 - January 2012)
Part 1 (October 2010)

"With his position as Leader of the Labour Party now secure, following brief worrysome bursts of popularity for his rivals Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, David Miliband now looks to tackling the Conservatives, having spent the past three years on manoeuvres to secure his place as the heir apparent for the Labour leadership, and thus eventual victor. The new leader is seen by the Blairite wing of the party as Blair Mark II but with the ability to forge a new path that has been lacking following the departure of their former leader from the political scene in 2007. Similarly, whilst Miliband is not the favoured candidate of the Brownites, who favoured Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, he isn't seen as being distinctly off-putting to this wing of the party and he is likely to continue some Brown era policies and practices in a bid for party unity. This is necessary in a party that has just been ejected from government after its longest ever tenure within it and which has been bruised following over a decade of battles between the Blair and Brown wings of the party.

As for how David Miliband will achieve such unity, he has kept his cards close to his chest thus far, but can be expected to outline his vision and policy agenda within the next few weeks. The first immediate task for Miliband is selecting a Shadow Cabinet, in which he is restricted by the rule that the Shadow Cabinet must be elected in opposition. Elections results are due to be announced on October 7th, with 19 places available, with other minor posts expected to also be appointed but without full Shadow Cabinet status. The manner of how Miliband makes up his team will be the first indicator in determining how he intends to ensure unity within the Labour Party."

- Extract from "David has ascended to the throne, now how to unify the Kingdom?" by Isabel Hardman in The Spectator, 30th September 2010

Shadow Cabinet election results, 7th October 2010

1. Yvette Cooper - 226
2. Ed Miliband - 204
3. John Healey - 190
4. Andy Burnham - 170
5. Angela Eagle - 166
6. Alan Johnson - 162
7. Douglas Alexander - 159
8. Ed Balls - 157
8. Jim Murphy - 157
10. Tessa Jowell - 140
11. Caroline Flint - 126
11. Hilary Benn - 126
13. Sadiq Khan - 114
14. Mary Creagh - 113
15. Ann McKechin - 107
16. Maria Eagle - 106
17. Meg Hillier - 104
18. Emily Thornberry - 103
19. Ivan Lewis - 102

"The Shadow Cabinet elections ended up as predicted, namely a mixture of Blairites, moderate inbetweens and Brownites, with a range of diverse backgrounds and experience. Some figures, such as Liam Byrne, Ben Bradshaw and Pat McFadden, whom David was thinking of appointing, ultimately failed to make the cut. On the flip side, others including Meg Hillier, Emily Thornberry and Mary Creagh, were rather unexpectedly elected. This therefore meant that some initial planning would have to be changed, including several domestic portfolios.

The biggest challenge was who to name as Shadow Chancellor, with three candidates in the running, namely Ed Miliband, Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls. David was keen upon appointing Ed M to the role, citing his runner up position in the election and thus a desire for unity, alongside Ed's extensive economic experience and a desire to echo the Kennedy brothers in forging a 'new frontier' for British politics. However, David was also well aware of charges of nepotism and comparisons to the ill fated Chamberlain brothers, in addition to criticisms that appointing a senior Gordon Brown adviser was unwise. It was this that led him to consider Yvette Cooper; given her first placed position in the election, Treasury experience and as a senior figure in the Brownites. Ed Balls was also considered, though his reputation as a bruiser and closeness to Brown made David reluctant to appoint him. Ultimately, Ed M was given the task after David had weighed the pros and cons of it and decided it would be worth the risk. To placate Yvette Cooper, David decided to name her as Shadow Foreign Secretary, to the disappointment of Douglas Alexander who'd hoped to secure that role. Ed Balls was pencilled in at DWP, on the logic that his personality and understanding of both welfare and pensions policy would provide a strong opposition to Coalition welfare reforms, and with the added benefit of removing him from a top three post.

Alan Johnson would be retained as Shadow Home Secretary, again disappointing Douglas Alexander's hopes for a top three post, though Alexander would be in effect promoted to Shadow Business Secretary. David then made the rest of his appointments based upon interest, experience and previous performance. As a large section of the remaining victors had not served in Brown's Cabinet, David sent most of them to portfolios that he felt needed a fresh start. Instances of this were John Healey at Defence, Caroline Flint at Education and Angela Eagle as Chief Secretary. Still, David also elected to keep Andy Burnham at Health and Hilary Benn at DEFRA, demonstrating a concurrent commitment to continuity. When the appointments were announced on October 11th, reception was largely positive, although David was privately unhappy at having to appoint some of the people who'd been elected, which spurred his desire to abolish Shadow Cabinet elections. As his new Chief of Staff, this was the first task he'd assign me in establishing his reforming desire over the party."

- Extract from The Real in The Thick of It by James Purnell, 2014

The Shadow Cabinet of David Miliband (11th October 2010 - present)

Full Members (elected)
Leader of the Opposition - David Miliband
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister & Shadow Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform - Harriet Harman
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer - Ed Miliband
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - Yvette Cooper
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department - Alan Johnson
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice & Shadow Lord Chancellor - Emily Thornberry
Shadow Secretary of State for Health - Andy Burnham
Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills - Douglas Alexander
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - Ed Balls
Shadow Secretary of State for Education - Caroline Flint
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence - John Healey
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government - Jim Murphy
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change - Mary Creagh
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Hilary Benn
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport - Ivan Lewis
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport - Maria Eagle
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development - Sadiq Khan
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland - Ann McKechin
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury - Angela Eagle
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons & Shadow Minister for Women and Equality - Meg Hillier
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office & Shadow Minister for the Olympics - Tessa Jowell
Opposition Commons Chief Whip - Rosie Winterton

Attending Members (not elected)
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales - Peter Hain
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland - Shaun Woodward
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords - Baroness Royall
Opposition Lords Chief Whip - Lord Bassam
Shadow Minister for Universities and Science - John Denham
 
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Chapter 1 (October 2010 - January 2012)
Part 2 (October 2010)

What should be David Miliband's most pressing policy priority?
Economic Credibility/Deficit - 19%
Welfare - 16%
Health - 15%
Education - 12%
Taxes - 10%
War on Terror - 9%
Business - 7%
Transport - 4%
Don't Know - 3%
EU - 3%
Culture - 2%

- Results of a poll taken by LabourList between 1st and 8th October 2010, sample size 500

@bbcnickrobinson - David Miliband announces new 'Reform Commission' headed by Lord Adonis, designed to review all aspects of Labour Party policy and to suggest changes.

"Upon his victory, the new Labour Leader and his team now faced a choice about where to challenge the Coalition first. Ed Miliband and James Purnell both argued that the welfare reforms being made by Iain Duncan Smith would be the best place to start, an argument reinforced by several other members of the Shadow Cabinet, led by Ed Balls. Others, including John Denham and Lord Adonis, advocated an overhaul of Labour's universities policy and switching to advocating a graduate tax. Miliband was against both proposals, feeling that attacking the Coalition on welfare would make Labour look as if they were against aspirational voters and that they were once more a tax and spend party; and similarly felt that it would look opportunistic to reverse policy on tuition fees considering Labour had both introduced them in government and campaign upon them in the general election.

Instead, Miliband opted to focus upon the issue of healthcare and specifically the Coalition's incoming NHS reforms. A white paper published by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in June had outlined what was termed 'the biggest revolution in the NHS since its foundation' and even though Lansley would not introduce the eventual Health and Social Care Act until January 2011, Miliband would use the initial proposals in the June white paper to attack the Coalition. He calculated that portraying the Coalition as slanting towards further NHS privatisation would galvanise support among the Labour base and boost Labour in the polls given the popularity of the NHS in the country at large."

- From New Labour Mark II? The Rise of David Miliband by Andrew Rawnsley, 2011

Miliband criticises Coalition NHS policy at first PMQs

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The new Leader of the Opposition, David Miliband, marked his first time at the despatch box for Prime Minister's Questions by launching criticism against the Coalition government on the issue of the NHS. After an initial tribute to fallen soldiers and diplomat Linda Norgrove in Afghanistan from both party leaders and a commendation of support by Miliband regarding the decision of Foreign Secretary William Hague to authorise a rescue operation for Norgrove, Miliband then moved on to the issue of the NHS.

In response to the white paper published on health and social care reform in June, Miliband asked the Prime Minister whether he would commit to a bipartisan commission of experts to properly assess the proposed reforms before moving forward. In response, the Prime Minister told Mr Miliband that the reforms had already been consulted upon by a number of experts, to which Miliband responded by accusing the government of pressing ahead with ideological wants without proper recommendation and in spite of widespread opposition from health professionals. The Prime Minister's response was that the proposals have been consulted upon and criticised Labour's prior handling of the NHS in government. Mr Miliband continued to accuse the government of ignoring healthcare professionals and moving ahead with reforms that would not benefit the NHS.

- BBC Website, 13th October 2010
 
Chapter 1 (October 2010 - January 2012)
Part 3 (November - December 2010)


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"The first real chance for us to oppose the Government on an embarrassing issue for them came in the last week of November, namely the two week period including Osborne's Autumn Statement, where it was made clear by him that more austerity measures were required, and the student riots over tuition fees that ended with Conservative Party HQ being damaged and invaded, alongside the car of the Prince of Wales being attacked by the most radically violent of protesters. It was clear from this stage that the Coalition's honeymoon was well and truly over, having been in decline since the combination of David's election as Leader of the Opposition and the announcement of austerity measures. However, despite the misfortunes that the government were experiencing, David was hesitant on going for an all out attack on the government, given Labour's own history and position on the issues of austerity and tuition fees. The problem with this was that it risked creating uncertainty about Labour's intentions on the economy.

This showed as much during Ed Miliband's response to the Autumn Statement in the House of Commons, in which he condemned the pace of austerity being proposed by the Chancellor, yet was reluctant to condemn the need for austerity, not wanting to be caught in the middle of the left and right when Labour's economic credibility was still in tatters. Furthermore, the public were still fairly accepting of austerity when polled, making it even more difficult to satisfy both the base and swing voters. In the end, David and Ed decided upon a strategy that would involve attacking the government on morality, saying it was wrong to apply deep cuts to social care, benefits, local government and other services that people in need relied upon. It painted the old picture of the Tories being heartless, which did no harm to Labour in the next few weeks, despite Osborne's assertions that austerity in all areas aside from health spending was necessary given the situation. Furthermore, despite a rising lead in opinion polls, we were not making progress in perceptions about our economic credibility."

- Extract from The Real in The Thick of It by James Purnell, 2014

ANDREW MARR: So, Ed Miliband, your party campaigned at the election in May, in a manifesto that you yourself drafted, for tuition fees at six thousand pounds, and you introduced them in government, yet now your party is attacking the government for rises
ED MILIBAND: Well, Andrew, let me first say that we are criticising the government because they have raised the limit of tuition fees to nine thousand pounds, which in hand with all of their planned cuts to social services and benefits, make it harder for... *Marr interrupts*
ANDREW MARR: But your party introduced tuition fees in 2003 and your proposed limit was six thousand pounds at the last election, and you also proposed austerity measures. It's a more moderate form than the Tories of course, but isn't it hypocritical for you to now attack the government on this issue?
ED MILIBAND: Well, it's not hypocritical, Andrew, because Labour has always been committed to helping students but we're mindful of the need for fiscal responsibility and we introduced tuition fees as a fairer system for students
ANDREW MARR: A fairer system you now say is unfair?
ED MILIBAND: No, what we're saying is unfair is the government enacting tuition fee rises whilst at the same time making swinging cuts to other vital services that would help disadvantaged students
ANDREW MARR: Alright, allow me to tweak the question, is your party planning a U-turn on tuition fees. Ed Balls, now the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, during the leadership campaign advocated a graduate tax whilst your brother maintained that tuition fees were the fairest route to allow students to go to university but your own position was decidely non commital
ED MILIBAND: My position is the one our leader has decided
ANDREW MARR: But in your campaign... *Miliband interrupts*
ED MILIBAND: In my campaign my position was more looking at all available options and pledging a commission to review university tuition
ANDREW MARR: Isn't that a non answer, Ed Miliband?
ED MILIBAND: No it isn't Andrew
- Extract from an interview on The Andrew Marr Show with Ed Miliband, 12th December 2010

@markhowell21 - Christ alive, Ed Miliband flapping and not answering Marr on tuition fees #andrewmarrshow
@AngelaEagle - Good performance by Ed Miliband in Marr interview. Labour is committed to a fair deal for students
@isabelhardman - Labour will clearly struggle to find a fine line between accepting fiscal need for students to pay without alienating base/opportunism

YouGov Poll of Polls - 19th December 2010
Labour - 40%
Conservative - 34%
Liberal Democrat - 10%
UKIP - 4%
Green - 2%
Prediction: Labour majority of 72
 
Chapter 1 (October 2010 - January 2012)
Part 4 (January 2011)

BREAKING: Alan Johnson resigns
20 January 2011

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Alan Johnson has served as Shadow Home Secretary since May

Shadow Home Secretary Alan Johnson is resigning from his role and quitting front line politics entirely for "personal" reasons, the BBC has learned.

Johnson, who has served as the MP for Hull West since 1997, has served in the role of Shadow Home Secretary since May, having served as Home Secretary for the final year of Gordon Brown's government. Prior to these roles, Mr Johnson, the former postman and trade union leader, had been in the Cabinet serving as the Secretary of State at Work and Pensions, Trade and Industry, Education, and Health.

In a statement, the Hull West MP said: "I have decided to resign from the shadow cabinet for personal reasons to do with my family.I have found it difficult to cope with these personal issues in my private life whilst carrying out an important frontbench role. I am grateful to David Miliband for giving me the opportunity to serve as Shadow Home Secretary. He is proving to be a formidable leader of the Labour Party and has shown me nothing but support and kindness. My time in Parliament will now be dedicated to serving my constituents and supporting the Labour Party. I will make no further comment about this matter."
- BBC News website, 20th January 2011

"Alan's resignation was certainly a surprise, one that later emerged was due to the sad reason of heartbreak, namely his wife having had an affair with his bodyguard during his time as Home Secretary. However, from a colder political perspective, his resignation also reopened questions and old wounds from the October reshuffle, namely amongst those who had missed out on promotion. David's first thought was Douglas Alexander, the Shadow Business Secretary and one of his former campaign managers. Ed Balls and Jim Murphy were also considered, yet David was reluctant to move Balls from a role he was already having success attacking the government in, plus he wasn't a fan of the idea of the top four posts being held by two brothers and a married couple. As for Murphy, David felt he needed more experience before taking on such a high profile role.

The problem that emerged unexpectedly came from Harriet Harman, who was pushing to be appointed to replace Johnson. It was a well known fact that she had been unhappy when Gordon Brown had refused to name her Deputy Prime Minister in 2007 and then when he named Mandelson as First Secretary of State in 2009. To make it a trio of reshuffle slights, Harman had given a lukewarm reception to her place in the Shadow Cabinet. She was Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, and so Nick Clegg's opposite, which pleased her, yet she was unhappy at also being the opposite on his role as Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform. Harriet had served in this role under Blair but similar to her unhappiness about being stuck as Leader of the House under Brown, she made it clear she felt the role unworthy of the Deputy Leader.

At a time when David was focused on attacking the Tories over Andy Coulson's resignation on the 21st, he did not wish to be distracted by power plays from his deputy. In the midst of the PR blitz done by David attacking Cameron for appointing Coulson and supporting an inquiry into press standards, he also held a series of meetings with Harriet and other senior figures. In the end, irked by Harriet's pressure to promote her, David elected to go with his first choice and appoint Douglas Alexander. As a concession to Harriet, but mostly to avoid requiring a larger reshuffle, he appointed her as Shadow Business Secretary. Whilst it couldn't be argued he hadn't promoted her, again she gave lukewarm reception to such a move. Still, she could have been given nothing else."

- Extract from The Real in The Thick of It by James Purnell, 2014

The Shadow Cabinet of David Miliband (22nd January 2011 - present)

Full Members (elected)
Leader of the Opposition - David Miliband
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister & Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills - Harriet Harman
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer - Ed Miliband
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - Yvette Cooper
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department - Douglas Alexander
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice & Shadow Lord Chancellor - Emily Thornberry
Shadow Secretary of State for Health - Andy Burnham
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - Ed Balls
Shadow Secretary of State for Education - Caroline Flint
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence - John Healey
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government - Jim Murphy
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change - Mary Creagh
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Hilary Benn
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport - Ivan Lewis
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport - Maria Eagle
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development - Sadiq Khan
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland - Ann McKechin
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury - Angela Eagle
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons & Shadow Minister for Women and Equality - Meg Hillier
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office & Shadow Minister for the Olympics - Tessa Jowell
Opposition Commons Chief Whip - Rosie Winterton

Attending Members (not elected)
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales - Peter Hain
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland - Shaun Woodward
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords - Baroness Royall
Opposition Lords Chief Whip - Lord Bassam
Shadow Minister for Universities and Science - John Denham
 
Quite a good read so far, you can definitely count on me as one of your subscribers.

It's gonna be interesting to see where you take this down the road and if Miliband the elder will actually preform better than his brother like oh-so-many people seem to think that he would've.
 
Thank you for the feedback! Next update covering the Arab Spring should come this evening and further updates regarding the 2011 local/devolved elections and News International scandal will come tomorrow
 
good, apart from having Ed as shadow chancellor, he would probably have been shadow environment sec or something

I did consider that from Ed or rather Shadow Foreign Sec, ultimately I decided for Shadow Chancellor based upon

- Balls' abrasive reputation/policy divergences which put Ed OTL and David ITTL against giving him the role of Shadow Chancellor to avoid a repeat of Blair/Brown
- Ed Miliband's own economic experience and knowledge
- David Miliband's known penchant for JFK; there was some comment and diary musings around 2008-2010 which compared him to JFK, likely leaked by his team according to others; which made him want to appoint Ed as an RFK figure
- Ed Miliband's close second in the election warranting a senior job
- Needing someone he trusted in the role
 
Chapter 1 (October 2010 - January 2012)
Part 5 (February 2011)

Somewhere in North London
February 2nd 2011


"Remarkable, isn't it? This sudden wave of popular protest" Louise Miliband remarked, her gaze fixed upon the News at Ten, the red and white hues blaring out into a largely darkened room.

"Unexpected certainly, though some form of revolution was always inevitable" her husband replied, his gaze not on the television but still listening as he reviewed a series of policy documents for the Shadow Cabinet meeting the following day. The Leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition, who until nine months prior had been Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, despite his seeming disinterest in the news, was following the events of the newly coined 'Arab Spring' quite closely. Firstly, because it intrigued him, and also because it was important to him politically. With Labour still bearing the scars of Iraq and with himself as a noted supporter of Blair, it was important to play his response to the ongoing events in the Middle East as tactfully as possible.

"Not on this scale though, surely" Louise mused, reaching for the plastic tray of Fox's biscuits that were resting on the coffee table.

"Maybe, though you could argue that the Domino effect has come back" David murmured, finally looking up from his policy briefs.

"Where one country falls then all the others do as well?" Louise inquired, having a fairly good idea of what her husband meant but asking for clarification anyway, aware foreign policy was not her forte.

"Exactly, of course very few would've seen this coming, I don't think even those old fogeys at the FCO, not on this scale."

"What will you do about it love?"

"Well, if I were Prime Minister, I'd do exactly what Cameron is doing, which is basically wait and see, express solidarity with freedom and democracy, yadda yadda yadda" David replied, amusing his wife with an uncharacteristic use of 'yadda' to emulate his distaste for such overused buzzwords in foreign policy.

"And reminders of Iraq if we have to get involved?" Louise asked, although she noticed how her husband paused for a moment before relying, not especially comfortable with this question even in the confines of his living room with only his wife there.

"Some wanker will always bring it up, but I'll just spin with something about Chilcot, extoll some virtues, deflect onto what I really want to talk about. If we need to use military action then I'd back the government depending upon the scenario, it's only right if we have to help" David told her, though his mind was working to compute the implications of such a policy position. He knew it was inevitable that military action or aid would be discussed somewhere, with Egypt and/or Libya being likely candidates. In a way, he knew it would be the first major test of his leadership.

10 Downing Street
February 27th 2011


It was the first time that David Miliband had been back inside Downing Street since before the dissolution of the last Parliament, with snippets of that final Cabinet meeting still playing in his mind. Gordon, still trying to motivate the ministers present with a bombastic speech about the great task to ensure all they had done wasn't wasted, to convince the country they were worthy of a fourth term. In their hearts and minds though, everybody knew all too clear that they were buggered, that it was just a matter of minimising defeat and that it was the final time they'd sit around the Cabinet table for at least five years, for some never again.

Despite Number 10's normal and rather worn townhouse interior, David had always found that it had a special allure that far outweighed the normality of its interior. From his first day here as Head of the Policy Unit to his last as Foreign Secretary, David had always envisioned himself as the occupant one day, and now that day looked set to be only four years away, perhaps even less. The wheels on the Coalition were buckling with public splits and policy cock ups slowly rising. Whilst the next election wasn't due until 2015, David had already asked his team to begin preparations for a general election as early as 2012, not wanting to be caught unawares.

"The Prime Minister will see you now" said a tall, pale faced aide with slick ginger hair, rather reminding David of that Weasley brother from Harry Potter. Had he worked here back nine months ago? He couldn't remember his face, but his dress and manner suggested he was the kind of civil servant who would thrive under the Tories.

David nodded and politely said "Thank you" before getting up from his seat in the hall and following the loping ginger man to the Prime Minister's office, which David discovered had not really changed much since Gordon's time, with a few minor portrait and decorative changes being the only noticeable differences.

"Prime Minister" David said by way of greeting, smiling politely as he reached out for Cameron's hand, to be greeted with a similarly genial "David, thank you for coming."

The two men sat by the fireplace in armchairs opposite each other, both dressed in full suits and the atmosphere evidently formal. "I asked you here today, David, so I could ask your opinion on the security briefing you had yesterday regarding my proposed course of action in Libya" Cameron began.

The day before, Miliband, along with Harriet Harman, Yvette Cooper, John Healey and Sadiq Khan, had been briefed in the Cabinet Office by the Cabinet Secretary, the National Security Adviser, the Chief of the Defence Staff and Chief of Air Staff with regard to Cameron's proposals for Libya. He wanted a no-fly zone enforced, to stop Colonel Gaddafi from airlifting mercenaries or using his aircraft upon his own citizens. David largely agreed with this course of action, but worried that it'd increase Cameron's standing at a time when David had secured a consistently healthy lead in the polls.

"Well, I think it is a bold yet worthy proposal, Prime Minister" David began, before leaning forward and asking, "Aside from the French, do you feel you'll get other nations backing?"

"You mean Obama" Cameron replied, shifting a little uncomfortably in his chair, as if Miliband were attempting to lecture him akin to a mentor, despite their age difference being only one year.

"Yes"

"Well, I think he'll back us, though maybe not as gung-ho as Bush would have been. Americans might be reluctant after Iraq, but they will probably see this is different, that it's humanitarian and well, Gaddafi is the kind of dictator they always use as a pin up of hate" Cameron replied, mentally recalling FCO analysis from his red boxes.

"That's good, do you think he'll have trouble getting it through Congress?" David asked, again trying to throw the PM off with another what if.

"Possibly, I'd say it's slim, it's a humanitarian crisis and Congress will see that" Cameron replied before a thought struck him, a way to knock off Miliband's evident arrogance. "I suppose you'd have similar trouble in your party, some of your backbenchers, possibly even shadow junior ministers might be opposed."

"Our whips are confident any rebels, if there are any, would only be the usual awkward squad" David replied, in a clipped tone, highlighting his annoyance with Cameron's sly jibe.

"That's good then, isn't it?"

"Yes, Prime Minister" Miliband replied, mentally cursing the man opposite whom he so hoped to deprive of office.
 
I'm liking this. Though I can't help but feel that Murphy would not have been best pleased with his Cabinet position having been D Milliband's campaign manager in the leadership election.

It will be interesting to see how this timeline develops. In reality, the two big moments of his leadership which won Ed lots of praise, (taking a stand against phone hacking and opposing attacking Syria) are things I would imagine David being far more cautious/ oppossed to.

It might not be a popular view, but from my perspective David has always come across as more aloof, arrogant and even 'weirder' than his brother. After those bizarre photos with the banana and confetti whilst he was foreign secretary I'll be surprised if we don't have an equivilent to 'bacon sarnie-gate' for him.
 
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