David Miliband walked away from frontline politics yesterday afternoon with his name notably absent from the list of nominations for the Shadow Cabinet. David has insisted that he is not quitting politics but rather taking a break from the front bench to ‘recharge [his] political and intellectual batteries to be of greater service to the party and the country’.
David acknowledges that their differences on policy and Labour’s history will provide fodder for the press already absorbed in the Miliband drama. A camera was trained upon David throughout his brother’s speech yesterday and when David rebuked Harriet Harman for applauding Ed’s statement upon the Iraq War, the press leapt upon it. David cited the attention to this reaction as showing the difficulties that remaining would have presented. In an interview with the BBC he stated that ‘raising a wry eyebrow with Harriet yesterday shows the dangers that can come’.
David is assured that he has made the right move for both himself and the party, stating ‘I am absolutely certain that for the party and the country, which has driven me in every political decision I have taken, this is the right thing to do.’ This break may be enough for the media to abandon their pursuit of the brothers Miliband and allow Ed to establish his leadership of the labour party free from constant scrutiny and suggestions of splits within the party.
The response to David’s decision has been positive from many who recognise the pressure the brothers and thus the party would be under. Ed has said that his ‘door is always open to [David]’ should he return in the future and whilst regretting the loss of his brother from the front benches he has called his decision ‘thoughtful and gracious’. Ed needs time and space to lead the Labour party, something that may have been easier had his victory over his brother been more decisive. The labour front bench will be undoubtedly weaker without David’s presence with Ed conceding ‘We would have been a stronger team with him in it, but I think he is right to have made the decision he did.’
David has commented that he will be using his free time to spend more time with his family and remains the MP of South Shields for whom he will continue to toil. 49 MPs have put their names forward to be members of Ed’s Shadow Cabinet from which 19 will be chosen. Rosie Winterton has put herself forward for the role of Chief Whip and will be replacing Nick Brown in the position.
David’s eloquent and passionate speech on Monday indicates that we had yet to see the best of the elder Miliband and leads us to hope that this break is a short one. The retreat could last only 2 years, with David perhaps returning in time for another round of elections of Labour’s shadow cabinet. David’s popularity and experience in the foreground of British politics would have been invaluable to Labour, the party and labour supporters will hope that this is not his last act of service.
Image courtesy of The Guardian
