Ed Miliband’s ruthless streak

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Over recent weeks and months some have suggested that Ed Miliband ducks the big decisions, that he is somehow indecisive. If Ed Miliband hadn’t disproved that by now, then he certainly has today.

Of course this narrative never really had legs anyway. Ed tackled this head on in his interview with Andrew Marr on Sunday and killed the argument stone dead – ducking tough decisions? Like standing against his brother for the leadership of the Labour Party?

David Miliband of course is now no longer a front-line politician. At the outset of conference the feeling was that David would remain in the shadow cabinet if he lost. Over recent days that mood has changed – few thought his announcement at 5pm would be anything but a resignation of sorts. His co-ordinated media hit (with two simultaneous TV interviews) allowed this big beast to move onto the backbenches with the fanfare he deserves. The frankly ruthless streak that Ed Miliband showed in standing against his brother has been the undoing of the elder Miliband. Today as he shepherds his brother out of the limelight, another act which will be largely ignored in light of tonight’s events could prove even more significant – the removal of Nick Brown as chief whip.

Brown is a huge figure in Westminster politics. An old style politician who wields enormous influence over the PLP, he is largely thought to have been responsible for making the chief whip position an elected one. He has a large support base, not just from old-school Brownites, but also from the substantial number of Labour MPs from the North East, and the new intake of MPs who are thought to like Brown and fellow whips for their help and advice.

To take on this supreme parliamentary operator only four days into your leadership shows a huge belief in your own ability, and the mark of a man very comfortable with very big decisions. Today Miliband met with Nick Brown, the presumptive next chief whip of the Labour Party, and informed him that his services in that role would not be required. He didn’t so much have Nick Brown taken out, as leave him in a room with a revolver and ask him to do the honourable thing. Brown isn’t thought to have acquired easily, but avoided confrontation of a man whose power over the party is beginning to build. Soon after, Jim Fitzpatrick – other presumed candidate for chief whip – decided that he wouldn’t be standing. Rosie Winterton (an Ed Miliband supporter in recent months) broke clear from the shadow cabinet pack to find herself the only candidate for chief whip. The position will no longer be a separate power base in the party – Winterton owes her position to Ed Miliband.

This tumult doesn’t seem to have caused Ed Miliband any real difficulty though. Such a day would have troubled many leaders with years of experience behind them – yet he has taken today’s events in his stride.

Over the course of the campaign it became clear that Ed Miliband was growing into the role of leadership candidate. Those who worked with him as a minister say that he grew into the role of being a minister. Ed Miliband isn’t a fully formed political entity yet, and he still has some work to do in presenting himself to a nation that knows little about him, but he’s brimming with confidence at the moment, and growing in confidence each day. Few can honestly call his naive, “too nice” or soft now. Ed Miliband is growing into the role of leader of the Labour Party – ruthlessly.