Ed Miliband won’t stay in his cage. And that’s terrifying news for the new PM.
The world isn’t enough for Ed Miliband – he wants more (Image: Getty)
Ed Miliband is giving Andy Burnham nightmares. Nothing new there. He’s been giving most of the country nightmares for years. If Burnham thought he’d kept Miliband on a tight leash, he’s very much wrong. Instead, the agony is only going to intensify. Because once again, Miliband is exceeding his brief. It’s what he does. And he won’t let anyone rein him in. No wonder he’s been called “the most dangerous man in Britain”.
When Red Ed was Labour leader in 2013, he handed Tory MP David Cameron and US president Barack Obama a strategic nightmare, by voting down plans to bomb Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons stockpiles. This caused nightmares for the Syrian people too, including children, who continued to be blasted with chlorine barrel bombs and lethal sarin gas for five years, until Donald Trump spearheaded strikes in 2018.
Miliband had previously unleashed a world of pain on his own party, by plotting against his far more electable brother David to win the Labour leadership in 2010. He then lead Labour to humiliating defeat in the winnable 2015 general election. Worse, rule changes he masterminded helped hard-left firebrand Jeremy Corbyn seize control of the party, and lead it two more electoral routs in 2017 and 2019.
As energy secretary, Miliband was a pain in the neck for Keir Starmer. His accelerated net zero charge went too far, too fast, and cost too much money. When Starmer tried to sideline him, Miliband refused to go. He then snubbed chancellor Rachel Reeves‘s efforts to rein him in. The net zero backlash helped sink Starmer. Then serial backstabber Miliband plotted against him, paving the way for Burnham.
Miliband expected to be made chancellor as reward. Which would have inflicted fresh horrors on the UK economy. Andy Burnham spotted the danger. Then slipped up. Now he’s unleashed a monster.
Burnham thought making Miliband foreign secretary might get him out of the country, and out of the way. He would also have the pleasure of watching Miliband writhe as he battled to restore his reputation with the Americans, having previously called their president a racist, misogynist, self-confessed groper. Some diplomat.
Miliband surprised many by seeming genuinely delighted to be appointed foreign secretary. Now we understand why.
Burnham thought he was boxing him in, but Miliband sees the job as a springboard to seizing still more power. He’s just attempted a “Whitehall land grab”, trying to take charge of Brexit reset negotiations, The Times reports. His motivation is obvious. To drive us back to the EU.
Incredibly, Miliband has already started holding meetings with counterparts in Paris and Madrid. Now Burnham has yanked his chain. Sources says it’s been made clear to Miliband that “the EU is not his job even if you might want it to be”.
Miliband has to content himself for being “responsible for the rest of the world”. But as we’ve seen, even the world isn’t enough for power-hungry Ed. He always wants more.
The monster is back in his cage for now. But it won’t be long before he’s out again, causing the usual chaos. Both for the Labour Party, and the country.