James Forsyth

David Miliband’s speech was neither a triumph nor a disaster. It was, as a fellow scribbler put it to me afterwards, a seven out of ten speech. I doubt that many people who weren’t for Miliband before it thought he was the man Labour needs after it. But equally Miliband’s supporters will have been relieved that he didn’t bomb liked he did last year. Miliband confidently walked the leadership speculation tightrope. Early in the speech, he turned to Brown and praised him for his role in increasing international development funding. Praise for the leader but on an issue that everyone knows won’t decide the election.

Coffee House is running a series of posts on the contenders to succeed Gordon Brown as Labour party leader.  The latest is below.  Click here for our profile of David Miliband, and here for Jon Cruddas. Alan Johnson, 58, Secretary of State for Health Pros Impossible to hate: Johnson is, as one political operative put it to me, the only member of the Cabinet who when he appears on TV  doesn’t make the public want to throw something at the set. After 11 years in government, having a leader who the public are at least prepared to listened to would be a major boon for Labour. While dampening the public’s enthusiasm for kicking the bums out, could prevent the Tories from winning a two-term majority.

Frank Luntz is the Marmite of polling: you either love him or hate him. His focus group on Newsnight tonight comparing the three party leaders made—as expected—for interesting viewing. Although I’d have preferred to see the potential Labour leadership candidates tested. I imagine that the Lib Dems will be crowing for weeks about its finding that people warmed far more to Clegg than the other two party leaders. The first thing that struck me was how Tony Blair still so dominates British politics. The panellists saw both Brown and Cameron through the prism of Blair. When the group were offered the chance to bring Blair back, they went for it overwhelmingly. One can only imagine how febrile the speculation would be right now if Blair was still in the Commons.

Gordon Brown’s reply to David Cairns’s resignation letter ends as follows: I will always respect the views of others both in the party and the government but believe that both function best when we show unity. Gordon Brown This strikes me as a revealing choice of words. Brown doesn’t say the party and the government work best when they are united but when they show unity, a subtle but important difference. Maybe I’ve been staring at this for too long but it does seem that Brown is accepting that the party and the government are divided about his leadership but arguing that it is best not to talk about it openly. Not in front of the voters, dear.