Times backs David Miliband for leader

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Following the endorsement of the Mirror last week, and the Observer yesterday, David Miliband today picked up the support of the Times. In an editorial today (£) the paper said David is the “only candidate who commands the personal authority to be a credible Prime Minister”:

“The choice that the party ought to make is the only candidate who has shown even an inkling of understanding the gravity of the situation the country faces.”

“Mr Miliband understands that Labour needs a credible line on the deficit; he has tried more than any other candidate to appeal to the electorate as a whole. He is the only candidate who commands the personal authority to be a credible Prime Minister and Labour can be a serious Opposition only if it is seen as an alternative government. There is only one candidate who comes close to answering that description: David Miliband.”

Although the News International-owned Times is in no way a Labour paper, this is still a prized endorsement. What is particularly noteworthy is how scathing it is of the other candidates. The implication (not too subtly expressed) is that none of the other candidates are capable, and that David Miliband is the only reasonable choice.