Friday News Review

Policy posturing

“There was nothing in this week’s Queen’s Speech for hard-working families – except a kick in the teeth if you are young and unemployed or an aspiring student or receiving home help.” – David Miliband, The Mirror

“Bosses earning huge amounts while their employees struggle were branded “immoral” by Labour leadership contender David Miliband last night.” – The Mirror

“Ed Miliband will seek today to stand out from the field of Labour leadership candidates with a campaign for a “living wage”. He will call for Britain’s five million lowest-paid workers to receive at least £7.14 an hour, instead of the current £5.83 minimum wage.” – The Times

“The result is that our conversation with the public broke down. We need to restart it with our most precious asset – our idealism for a better future.” – David Miliband, Tribune

“Ed Miliband will throw his weight behind demands for a “living wage” of more than £7 an hour as he seeks to bolster his bid for the Labour leadership.” – Channel 4 News

Nominations

“With the Labour Party publishing official nominations online as they are made, close Labour watchers will find many MPs nominating the candidate who would seem to fit most naturally with their own political views or personal ties.” – Sunder Katwala, The New Statesman blog

“Recently-elected Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves has thrown her support behind Ed Miliband in the Labour leadership race.” – The Guardian

The contest

“It has been so long in coming — the contest — but now it’s here, the participants don’t seem to know what to do with it. The party has very little recent experience of democratic leadership elections, having only chosen three leaders in a proper contests featuring more than one candidate in the last 27 years (Blair in 1994, Smith in 1992 and Neil Kinnock in 1983). – Iain Martin, Wall Street Journal blog

“A new Labour leader’s first task will be to fight the Liberal Democrats in next year’s Scottish and Welsh elections. Labour will then turn its fire against the Liberal Democrats in major urban centres, particularly Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle. The Labour message will inevitably be ‘The Liberal Democrats are keeping the nasty, cutting Tories in power’.” – Conservative Home

Leeds Labour scoop local elections

From the regions

“Leeds Labour has taken power at Leeds council – with the support of the Green group. Political leadershipswitched from a Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition to a minority Labour administration by just one sea

t at the council AGM at Leeds Civic Hall last night.” The Guardian


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