E Already, Miliband has been branded 'Red Ed' by certain newspapers because it was union support that edged him to first place. David Cameron, meanwhile, put in a 20-minute phone call from Chequers to welcome the 40-year-old to the political hot seat. WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Ed Miliband, Sunday Telegraph: "Yesterday... a new generation was entrusted with transforming our party and making sure that, once again, we stand up for the interests of families across Britain... My aim is to show that our party is on the side of the squeezed middle in our country and everyone who has worked hard and wants to get on. My aim is to return our party to power." David Miliband, BBC: "This is Ed's day. I'm, obviously, genuinely delighted for him. If I can't win, then he should lead the party. It's a huge day for the Miliband family. Not quite the day for the Miliband family that I would have wanted, for the Miliband (D) family..." Baroness Warsi: "Ed Miliband wasn't the choice of his MPs, wasn't the choice of Labour Party members but was put in to power by union votes. I'm afraid this looks like a great leap backwards for the Labour Party." Tessa Jowell: "[This is] a moment of tremendous pain and disappointment because David, for many years, had hoped he would one day lead the Labour Party. [But] I know that Ed will be sensitive to David's disappointment and David will just be incredibly generous. And most of all, the whole Labour Party wants to unite behind Ed as the new leader." Martin Ivens, Sunday Times: "'It's the unions wot won it' will be the harsh verdict of the new leader's critics. He trailed behind David in support from MPs and constituency party members but he won the endorsement of the three largest left-wing unions in the country... Ed Miliband must prove that Labour is not the party of the fringes that elected him, but of all Britain." The Mole, The First Post: "He needs to lose that 'Red Ed' tag, and quickly... The long waited Osborne cuts, which are bound to hurt the poor – and many in the middle – will give him an attentive audience. It could also be the springboard for a leap in Labour support in the polls." Alastair Campbell, on his blog: "I wanted David to win, but I wish Ed well now that the Party has spoken... He has already shown some of the qualities required for leadership – boldness, a touch of steel, and an ability to persuade. He, more than anyone else, ... can now shape how he is seen by the public. That is quite an exhilerating [sic] position to be in." David Cameron: "Congratulations to Ed Miliband. I was Leader of the Opposition for four years and know what a demanding but important job it is. I wish him and his family well." Glen Owen, Daily Mail: "Mr Miliband is the first leader of a major British political party to be living with his family out of wedlock. He and Justine, who will give birth to the couple’s second child in little over a month, are not married." Ed Miliband’s leadership win: What they’re saying
Labour has a new leader and it’s not the Miliband most observers expected
Monday, 27 September 2010
LAST UPDATED 1:23 PM, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010
d Miliband yesterday snatched victory from his older brother David in a dramatic about-turn, to become the Labour Party's twentieth leader. In his victory speech, he told David Miliband: "I love you so much as a brother."
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