Today’s Telegraph reports that David Miliband has lined up Alan Milburn to be his Chancellor, should he manage to oust Gordon Brown from office. A good move by Team Miliband? Well, Milburn is certainly a capable political performer, and his presence will help solidify Blairite support. But two potential problems spring to mind.
The first is that, whilst Milburn is popular with the Blairites, he is anathema to the Brownites and to the left of the party (remember the unions’ response when he was appointed as Labour’s general election co-ordinator for 2005?). In a struggle that is rapidly reducing into a Blairite vs Brownite feud, the received wisdom is that Miliband needs to look for support beyond his usual ideological base. That means making ties with the Labour left, not breaking them.
The second problem is that Milburn has been away from the political frontline for some time now. He was last a member of the Cabinet in 2005. Will the public be happy seeing him at the helm of the British economy, particularly when it’s going through a particularly rocky period? Will he inspire confidence in voters? You have to be uncertain, at best.
One final point: that Milburn is involving himself in moves to topple Brown is unsurprising. Political Betting’s Mike Smithson reported on a rumour that Milburn himself was to challenge for the top job last May. And in a recent interview by Fraser – well worth reading again, in light of recent developments – the keen Blairite hinted at his dissatisfaction with the Brown government:
“To put it politely … the government is not in a great position. Do I think the next election is lost? No. But we need to get ahead of the curve. There are all these concerns about getting the process right, getting the narrative right.”
Presumably, Milburn thinks that David Miliband can get the process and the narrative right. And that he’s a man who can help.
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