A day in the race: June 21st

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Today was a quieter day in the race after a weekend of media appearances, CLP visits and a hustings. However the candidates still found time between them to challenge the Tories in Parliament, travel to Brussels, take part in a webchat and give a national newspaper interview.

DIANE ABBOTT, interviewed today in the Mirror, sought to dispel criticism for sending her son to private school. Speaking of her experience of many black boys, Abbott said that she:

“realised they were subjected to peer ­pressure and when that happens it’s very hard for a mother to save her son.

Once a black boy is lost to the world of gangs it’s very hard to get them back and I was genuinely very fearful of what could happen.”

Abbott also said that she believes she is questioned about this decision because, “there isn’t much else to ­criticise me for.”

Abbott’s website is now up and running, but is currently low on content – although this is expected to change in the coming days. Diane unveiled the site in an email to party members, where she sought to put clear red water between herself and the other candidates:

“On issues of policy, I am closer to the heart and soul of the movement than my rivals. I called all the big issues correctly. I voted against tuition fees, I was opposed to the removal of the 10p tax, and I marched, spoke and voted against the Iraq war. No other candidate took these positions when it was difficult to do so.”

ED BALLS was in Parliament today and challenged the government on VAT. Speaking in the chamber, Balls said:

“The Tory-Liberal government wants to hide the fact that a VAT increase would hit the poorest people in our society the hardest – pensioners, the unemployed and those on lower incomes. That’s why we must stop a VAT bombshell in the Budget, which Nick Clegg himself was campaigning against just a couple of months ago.”

Balls also accused Education secretary Michael Gove of taking funding from free school meals to fund free schools – a charge that Gove dodged but didn’t entirely refute.

DAVID MILIBAND appeared on both BBC and Sky today as he continued his busy media schedule. In his BBC interview, which focussed on the economy and the expenses scandal, Miliband sought to stand up for MPs and the political profession, saying:

“We cannot get into a situation where MPs are presumed to be guilty, before innocent. We cannot get into a situation where politics is seen to be a dishonest profession: it is not.”

Later on Sky News, Miliband urged the government to put politics centre stage in the search for a solution in Afghanistan, telling them that “the time for politics is not after the military have finished, but whilst the military action is going on.”

David also took part in a webchat for the Guardian today.

ED MILIBAND was in Brussels meeting with Labour MEPs – the latest leadership candidate to meet them and try to win their support. Whilst there he challenged Lib Dems to “oppose this budget”, citing a potential rise in VAT ahead of what he called “a week of judgement for the Liberal Democrats.”

In a play to Lib Dem voters, Miliband said:

“We will see tomorrow what the Budget looks like but I think a lot of Liberal Democrat voters are feeling very unsettled about what the Lib Dems are going along with.”

ANDY BURNHAM‘s website, like Abbott’s, is also live now. Again it’s low on content, but Andy has a petition up on saving the future jobs fund – and you can download his latest election leaflet, or watch an endorsement video by England defender Jamie Carragher. He’s going to need more content than this though, and more of the same quality, if he’s going to compete with the other ex-cabinet ministers online.