Ed miliband

As part of Labour's last-ditch effort to hold onto Stoke-on-Trent Central in Thursday's by-election, Ed Miliband headed north on Monday to help the party's candidate Gareth Snell campaign. Although Snell has made a number of questionable comments about women on Twitter, the former Labour leader didn't seem to mind as he posed for pictures on the campaign trail. https://twitter.com/gareth_snell/status/833647661337214976 Only Mr S can't help but wonder if Snell was being genuine when he said it was 'fantastic' to welcome Miliband to his neighbourhood.

Even when Ed Miliband was Labour leader, it was his brother who made the greatest impression across the pond. While Hillary Clinton waxed lyrical about David Miliband, Ed was never able to make waves in America. So, there's good news at last for the former Labour leader. Miliband won a primetime spot during a news bulletin from NBC. Alas, there is a catch - his photo was used as a stock picture for an item on the flu: https://twitter.com/elenacresci/status/810847595618766848 Well, they do say all publicity is good publicity...

In last week's Autumn statement, Philip Hammond appeared to channel his inner Ed Miliband as he banned letting fees and went on a borrowing splurge. Today at Treasury questions, it was Labour's turn to cross-dress. After John McDonnell sparked much laughter from Tory benches by referring to Mark Field's chief of staff -- behind yesterday's so-called Brexit leak -- as a senior government official, his shadow chief secretary went on to press Hammond to make a guarantee -- as Labour are -- that he would keep the triple lock throughout the next parliament. While the pension triple lock -- introduced by the coalition -- was something George Osborne championed throughout his tenure as chancellor, Hammond appears to have no such agenda.

When I made my Dispatches documentary about generational inequality for Channel 4, I was struck by how many of the established facts in this debate fell apart upon scrutiny. Yes, there are many legitimate grievances – which I covered in the film. But some of the supposed ‘nationwide’ problems are, in fact, no such thing. Take the national rent crisis, which led Ed Miliband to fight an election campaign which pitted the supposedly wicked exploitative landlords against tenants. He lost that election, in part because he had allowed himself to be sucked down rabbit hole of social media – and one of Londoncentricity. There are a great many problems facing people outside of the capital, but soaring rents is not really one of them.

David Davis batted away demands for parliament to be given a vote on the timing of Article 50 or the government’s negotiating stance. Whenever his opponents—who included Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg—brought up how Davis himself had previously said there should be a white paper on the government’s negotiating stance, Davis side-stepped the issue. He also claimed that his views on how the executive should be accountable to parliament hadn’t changed, but that there was a difference between scrutiny and micro-managing. What the government wanted out of the Brexit talks, said Davis, was control of the UK’s borders and laws, co-operation on justice and security matters that is at least as good as it is now and barrier-free access to the European market.

Jeremy Corbyn’s second leader’s speech was much better than his first. One has to beware the soft bigotry of low expectations when judging his performance as leader of the opposition. But, it’s fair to say that Corbyn’s speech was up there with some of Ed Miliband’s off year efforts. The delivery was much improved, there was a joke or two and some canny lines. Corbyn cleverly made the moderates an offer they’ll struggle to refuse, saying that the one thing everyone in Labour agreed on was that a divided party would not persuade the public. So, he asked them, ‘accept the decision of the members, end the trench warfare and work together to take on the Tories’.

Jeremy Corbyn promised to wipe the slate clean following Labour's fractious leadership race. Now that he's officially clinched victory, it's time for the party to try and do just that at Labour's annual conference, which kicks off at 11am today. Here, The Spectator has put together a guide of the main events to look out for. This is what's on today: 11am: Labour’s conference starts The NEC’s chair Paddy Lillis speaks shortly afterwards Fringe events: 5.

Poor Ed Miliband. Since his defeat in the General Election, the former Labour leader has seen his influence fade -- dropping to number 40 in this year's Doncaster Power list. Now it seems some are struggling to even remember his name. On last night's Question Time, Red Ed was mistaken for his brother David Miliband twice by his fellow panel member Dreda Say Mitchell. The Brexit-backing novelist mistook him for Labour's prince across the water while discussing the EU: DM: Are we saying David, as a country we are the fifth largest economy EM: It’s Ed, actually DM: Sorry, Ed Alas Mitchell failed to learn her lesson and went on to refer to him as David for a second time later on. Miliband then suggested Mitchell simply refer to him as 'you there' in future.

Just over a year ago, Ed Miliband had the world at his feet. The MP for Doncaster North was one of the most powerful men in the country -- hoping to lead Labour to victory in the General Election. One lost election later and a lot has changed for Red Ed. Now a backbencher, Miliband doesn't appear to hold much sway anymore -- even in his constituency. Miliband has dropped from number four to number 40 in the Doncaster 'Power List' which lists the 50 most influential movers and shakers in the area. At number 40, Miliband can at least take heart that he has been deemed more influential than Radio Sheffield's Toby Foster as well as Peter Burrows -- the Bishop of Doncaster. As for those who are now more influential than the former Labour leader?

Hell, I wait so long to be right about something and then two bits of stuff come along at once. Nine months ago I said Sadiq Khan would become London’s mayor – partly because he was a very good candidate and a likeable bloke – but more because London is one of the world’s most leftie liberal constituencies. Which should tell you about Boris’s campaigning abilities, no? I also suggested that Labour would do better in the local elections than commentators – and desperate PLP recusants – were predicting. They did. In London, Corbyn is an actual asset to Labour. Beyond the vile metropolis, he is no more of a yoke around the party’s neck than was the hapless cockwomble Miliband.

Forget the big election debates, the defining moment of Ed Miliband's Labour leadership was his attempt at eating a bacon sandwich. In 2014 ahead of the local and European elections, Miliband appeared pained and confused as he attempted to eat a bacon sandwich in Covent Garden. The pictures that followed went everywhere as he became the subject of much ridicule. So, Mr S was pleased to learn that Miliband has found a working man's food that he appears to be able to eat in a normal manner. The MP for Doncaster North made a late night visit to the Yorkshire Pie House in his constituency last week. The restaurant reports that Miliband likes nothing more on a Friday than to 'rock' the pie house with his 'buddies': As for his pie of choice? He's a 'chicken and ham kinda guy'.

Last night John Whittingdale's 2014 relationship with a dominatrix was made public by Newsnight in an interview with Hacked Off founder Brain Cathcart. However, Hacked Off members were soon branded 'hypocrites' for forcing a cabinet minister to admit he unknowingly had a relationship with a prostitute -- given that they claim to rally against press intrusion. While Cathcart says that the right-wing media had conspired to hide the story of Whitto's relationship for their own benefit, the Guardian’s Roy Greenslade has dismissed their claims as 'pure speculation'. So, a good time to distance oneself from Hacked Off supporters? Apparently not.

One of Ed Miliband's most embarrassing television moments from his time as Labour leader came when he appeared on The Agenda in 2014. Red Ed was lost for words when former pop star Myleene Klass turned on him on the ITV show as she berated him over Labour's proposed mansion tax. The former Hear-Say star criticised Miliband's approach to tax: 'Ed’s getting isolated because no one thinks it is going to work. You may as well just tax me on this glass of water. You can’t just point at things and tax them.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu4Gfaqe_Zk&nohtml5=False So it was a bold move for Miliband to return to the scene of the crime last night and appear on the show once again. Happily it turns out that life as a Labour backbencher appears to suit him.

Jeremy Corbyn has launched Labour’s local election campaign today with the promise that his party will stand up to the government, and the claim that it is being effective in doing so. He said: ‘Now, being in Opposition is never easy, I think we all know that. But Labour in Westminster has proved you can still have influence and you can still make a difference. it was by speaking out and standing up with people with disabilities that we shamed the government into abandoning their disgraceful cuts to personal independence payments. ‘But we’re not done yet. We will continue the campaign to stop the cuts to disabled people’s ESA that is still there as a proposal in the Budget.

During Ed Miliband's time as Labour leader, he was subject to opposition from MPs in his own party as those in other parties. In fact, Miliband couldn't even rely on his own family for unconditional support, with his brother David -- who had lost out to Ed in the Labour leadership election -- seldom praising his performance. Still, at least Ed can take heart that he's not the only Labour leader that his brother has little positive to say about. In an interview with ES Magazine, the former Foreign Secretary -- who quit UK politics to head up International Rescue in New York -- is scant on praise for Jeremy Corbyn: 'He’s won his majority and the proof of the pudding is in the eating: how does he lead? Does he lead us into government?

When an ICM phone poll this week had Labour level with the Tories for the first time since Jeremy Corbyn became leader, even the pollster cast doubt on the finding. But today, YouGov has Labour ahead by a point—34% to 33%. YouGov’s Anthony Wells says that this suggests ‘something is genuinely afoot’. Now, as the election reminded us polls are not all seeing. It is also doubtful what the value of a poll is this far out from a general election: Ed Miliband was regularly ahead by large margins during the last parliament and still went on to lose the election.

In 2010, Ross Kemp appeared in a party political broadcast urging the public to vote for Labour in the General Election. In this, the EastEnders actor, who plays Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, warned the nation against voting for David Cameron: 'It only takes around 60 seconds to cast your vote. 60 seconds to protect the economy, 60 seconds to protect your jobs, 60 seconds to protect the services your family relies on. And a lot is at stake during those 60 seconds, David Cameron and George Osborne would cut child credits and tax funds. They would put police numbers and schools at risk. With George Osborne at the helm, we would risk driving us straight back into recession by taking billions out of the economy at the wrong time.

Last week Jeremy Corbyn was left red-faced in PMQs after David Cameron asked him why he had allowed Gerry Downing -- a 9/11 apologist -- to rejoin the party. While Labour later expelled Downing, the party now face fresh controversy over one of its other members. This morning Guido Fawkes revealed that disgraced former Labour PPC Vicky Kirby is Woking Labour's 'newly elected vice chair'. Kirby was suspended by Ed Miliband in 2014 after the Sunday Times revealed that she had suggested Isis should attack Israel. So with two dubious members re-admitted, one could be forgiven for thinking that there is a bit of a pattern developing here when it comes to Corbyn's Labour. However, one bright spark has another idea about what's really going on.

Ed Miliband has been keeping a low profile since stepping down as Labour leader, but could he now be angling for a return to frontline politics? Miliband was spotted engrossed in conversation this lunchtime with Team Corbyn. A beady-eyed spectator snapped a photo of Ed having a coffee with Seumas Milne -- Corbyn's director of comms -- and Kevin Slocombe -- head of Leader’s media -- in Portcullis House. https://twitter.com/eyespymp/status/702135618227322880 Watch this space...