The odd couple
Mr Miliband looks increasingly likely to appoint Mr Balls as his shadow chancellor if he wins the Labour leadership election. He used a television debate to heap praise on Mr Balls for his work in holding the Coalition to account over the economy. Mr Balls returned the favour yesterday by criticising Mr Miliband’s brother, Ed, who is the other main challenger in the race to succeed Gordon Brown. On the BBC’s Jeremy Vine Show, Mr Balls placed some of the blame on Ed Miliband, who was in charge of writing the party’s election manifesto, for the policies that came out of the No?10 “bunker” in the dying days of the Labour administration. – The Telegraph
Campaign poll
David Miliband took heart from a new YouGov poll which showed he was most likely to woo voters who rejected the party at the general election. The poll was commissioned by his campaign. It found 47% of respondents who had a view believe the shadow foreign secretary is the most effective alternative to Cameron — a 28 point lead over his nearest rival, his brother Ed, who scored 19%. Ed Balls trailed on 13%, with Diane Abbott and Andy Burnham on 11% and 10% respectively. – The Guardian
Future jobs
As party members vote for who should be the next leader, the shadow education secretary said Labour must be “consensus-changers” and fight the Government’s plan to slash the deficit this year. Mr Balls said creating more jobs would lead to more tax revenues which in turn would help reduce the debt and it was too soon to cut spending. He has called for people out of work for more than 18 months to be guaranteed a job or work placement. Everybody of working age should be able to find employment, he added. – Sky
What about Gordon?
Meanwhile, Labour leadership contender Ed Balls yesterday stepped up his criticism of Mr Blair for his memoirs, A Journey. Mr Balls said: “It would have been better if the memoirs had been a celebration of success rather than recriminations. In that sense I thought it was all a bit sad.” The shadow education secretary also revealed he had spoken to Gordon Brown about the “really harsh” content. Mr Balls said: “I rang him at the end of the day to say I thought it was really harsh, some of the things which were being said in that book. It was so one-sided. “I didn’t think it was comradely.” – The Mirror
Gordon Brown has announced plans to work on worthy projects to increase global access to education and the internet in a pointed message that he has no intention, yet, to respond to Tony Blair’s savage attack on his personality and premiership. As the controversy over the former Prime Minister’s memoirs continued to rage, the office of his successor at No 10 announced that Mr Brown is to join the Global Campaign for Education to increase worldwide access to education. He will work to “secure economic justice in Africa” by helping to increase internet access there and will also join the board of the World Wide Web Foundation. – The Herald
From the post bag…
Sir, As a lifelong Labour party supporter and manager of a small business, can I assure Ed Balls that he could wait till Doomsday and still not have enough time to win the leadership contest (“Hard-hitter struggling to escape macho past”, August 31). As a businessman I hold him responsible for the continuing difficulties in my sector. As a party member the idea that anyone could contemplate a longer contest than the current bonfire of banalities leaves me incredulous. – Letters, The FT
I think what they are saying he is about the same as Cameron, lets be honest right now if we voted in Miliband I doubt we notice the difference.
Milibands balls Cameron Osbourne, one of the same. new Labour