Labour has “turned the page backwards”, says David Miliband

David Miliband has critiqued Labour’s past five years in office, saying the party had “turned the page backwards.”

“What I think is important for all the candidates is to reflect on the very clear lessons of two devastating electoral defeats for the Labour party in the last five years, which have come for a very clear reason.

“And the reason is that the public have concluded that instead of building on the strengths and remedying the weaknesses of the Blair years, the party has turned the page backwards rather than turning the page forwards.”

Miliband said that in order to move forward the successful candidate must “find again that combination of economic dynamism and social justice that defined the success of the Labour party” under Tony Blair.

He also argued that Labour “needs to catch up with the way Britain has changed, the way politics has changed, and the kind of agenda that needs to be set in an age of economic insecurity”.

Miliband built upon these comments in an interview in the Times today, saying:

“We should liberate ourselves from the delusion that running away from three election victories is a route to success … “It’s 50 years since Labour won a majority at a general election without Tony as leader. It’s important to have this in mind.”

But while offering a critique of Labour’s failures under the stewardship of his brother, he told the Times: “Of course it’s doubly painful for me because it’s my brother. I don’t want him to be hurt and I don’t want him to be vilified.”

During his interview with CNN, Miliband was also asked Britain’s impending EU referendum. Miliband urged Labour to argue that “even the talk of Britain leaving the European Union is dangerous for Britain, and the reality would be disastrous”.

“Sitting in New York, it’s completely evident to me that no American government would ever take seriously a Britain that has withdrawn from the European Union.

“It’s almost like Britain would be resigning from the world.”

Miliband also entered into a debate that has split the party in recent weeks; over whether they should take a leading role in the referendum. Some in the party argue that Labour’s decision to team up with the Tories during the Scottish independence referendum did them damage in the election, and that they should a lesson from this. However, Miliband said he believes Labour should be at the forefront of the campaign for Britain to stay in the EU.