David Miliband talks about his family life

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

David Miliband has given a rare personal interview, in which he talks about his family life, and the sadness he and his wife felt at learning they would not be able to have children nearly a decade ago.

Miliband says:

“It was a long process. We didn’t just go to the doctor and find out, it took years. It was very drawn out and difficult but there was a moment when we realised that we had reached the end of the line and we weren’t going to give birth to our children.”

The Milibands eventually decided to adopt in the US:

“Going to America to meet our babies was in a way like giving birth. It was incredibly exciting, but nerve-racking. To see your child for the first time is extraordinary. The kisses I remember most in my life are the kisses I gave to my children when they were born.”

And speaking of the leadership race, Miliband says:

“We got Diane Abbott on to the ballot paper, that’s not patronising, it’s new politics. The Labour Party went from a culture of dissent in the 1980s to a culture of discipline in the 1990s and it never went through a culture of debate…I’m running on why I would be the best leader of the party, not against one of the other candidates. I think I can turn dreams into reality.”

Read the full interview here.