Morning Report – June 13th

Today Ed Miliband is giving a big speech on responsibility, pay, and benefits, in what absolutely nobody is calling a relaunch. Are you calling it a relaunch, because we’re certainly not. Because it’s not a relaunch – is it?

Ed will be taking on the idea that Labour represents people who are “ripping off society”, as well as arguing that Labour is very comfortable about those who become rich through entrepreneurship:

“From bankers who caused the global financial crisis to some of those on benefits who were abusing the system because they could work – but didn’t.”

“Labour – a party founded by hard-working people for hard-working people – was seen by some, however unfairly, as the party of those ripping off our society.”

Perhaps it’s no co-inbcidence that as Ed Miliband gives a speech that will be heavy on welfare, Liam Byrne has said that the jobless “need to try harder“. The question is this – is Byrne fleshing out Labour’s views on welfare, or is he an outrider?

The Mirror has come out in support of Ed Miliband this morning, and says that it’s time to get behind Ed Miliband and “show some fight”. It’ll be a relief for Miliband that he has the backing of the largest Labour supporting paper (or the only Labour supporting paper?) – but he’ll probably be less enthused by the fact that he’s described as clearly “not yet the finished product”. Would David have been any different though – Mary Ann Sieghart suggests in the Independent that they share the same flaws.

The Sunday Times were hardly supportive of Ed Miliband yesterday, but it seems they may have…crossed the line. John Prescott received an apology from the paper yesterday after he was mistakenly quoted in an article attacking Ed Miliband. The paper blame a production error, but Prescott blames a journalist – this argument isn’t over yet. Now sister paper The Sun has carried a similar story, yet this time without Prescott’s quote…

And finally there is still someone putting pressure on the Tories and focussing the fight there – however as it’s Ed Balls he will be especially determined to move on from the non-stories pedalled about him in recent days. He has taken advantage of a slot in the Mirror to accuse the chancellor of spin. That will no doubt rile the chancellor…