In 2015, Tory MP Michael Fallon famously said Ed had "stabbed his own brother in the back" and would be willing to "stab the UK in the back" to become PM. Happily, voters had their guard up. Ed Miliband's hard-left Labour was crushed by David Cameron's Tories in that year's general election. More than a decade later, Fallon's warning is more haunting than ever. Today, business newspaper Bloomberg publishes an astonishing account of the coup against Starmer. Its UK political editor Alex Wickham paints Miliband as the man orchestrating events and he's just as sneaky and two-faced as ever.
The old knife never left his hand. The Labour Party has embarked on an intra-party blood feud and Miliband’s prints are all over the blade. Instead of rallying around a struggling leader at a time of national crisis, he's spent his days plotting against the PM for his own ends.
Starmer allies are furious. They openly accuse Miliband of betrayal and compare it to the way he brought down his own brother. His timing is terrible too. Britain faces economic turmoil, global instability and collapsing public finances, yet senior Labour figures spend their time plotting against each other for personal political gain.
Miliband has allegedly been pushing ministers and MPs to tell Starmer his time is up, while publicly pretending to stand above the fray. He's also said to have privately dismissed Angela Rayner as “not up to it”, and is gearing up to stand as the candidate of the Left if Burnham cannot get into Parliament.
Rival Wes Streeting hasn't got the numbers. Burnham hasn't got the seat. Rayner hasn't got a clue. Miliband is the king maker. If Burnam can't stand, he will.
If Burnham fails to win the upcoming Makerfield by-election, which is likely, Ed will stand again. This time, the nation cannot stop him. Our fate is in the hands of left-wing MPs, activist and trade unionists. Which means he will almost certainly win. No doubt after a few quiet words with the brothers. Not David, I mean militant trade union bosses.
Miliband started by turning the knife on his brother, and now it's the turn of his boss. Starmer handed him the job he always wanted and this is how he repays him. Now guess who's next?
Britain never voted for the hard-left policies that Keir Starmer has delivered, after pretending to be a moderate. And it would never have voted for Miliband's crazy ways. If Red Ed does become PM he should step down and call an election. But he knows how that will turn out. So he'll have three years as PM without the nation getting a chance to vote on this two-faced plotter. Better watch your backs.
