Sir Keir Starmer is on the brink as Ed Miliband prepares to hand in his resignation.
Ed Miliband is ready to walk. But he’ll soon be back – with Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
For many readers, the prospect of Ed Miliband resigning might seem cause for celebration. The energy secretary has caused controversy from day one by banning new North Sea oil and gas drilling, costing us billions. He’s brought forward the net zero transition by five years and will spend trillions pursuing it at breakneck speed. The timetable is simply too fast to be sensible. Historic sums of your money will be squandered. Our deindustrialisation will continue at a terrifying rate.
Miliband also rubbed voters the wrong way by falsely claiming his green transition would wipe £300 off our energy bills, when in practice it’s driving them up. That wasn’t the only whopper he sold us. He repeatedly claimed his green drive would create 600,000 well-paid jobs. Instead, we’ve mostly seen losses, particularly in oil city Aberdeen which he’s turning into a ghost town. Highly paid, highly skilled energy workers are discovering those green jobs either aren’t there, or don’t pay half as well. The majority have been created among Chinese wind turbine and solar panel manufacturers anyway.
But perhaps the most annoying thing is that Miliband doesn’t listen. Whenever problems rear up, he just slams his foot down and powers on. He’s bringing one-eyed ideological zeal to what is a tough technical task. Which has led to mad results, such as paying wind farms not to produce electricity, and buying oil from Vladimir Putin while high-mindedly refusing to exploit our own sources. Many will be thrilled to see him step down. But don’t get too excited.
Miliband is a force within the Labour Party. All the things that rile his critics only excite Labour MPs and activists. He’s learned that the harder he pushes his agenda, and the more divisive he becomes, the more his own side love him. And it’s working. Intoxicated by his newfound power, he’s itching to elbow Keir Starmer out of Number 10. The PM is on the brink. Miliband wants to tip him over and bring in Andy Burnham.
All he needs is for the Mayor of Manchester to win today’s crucial by-election in Makerfield. If Burnham beats Nigel Farage‘s Reform UK as expected, he’ll be in Westminster by the weekend. Miliband wants him in Number 10 as soon as possible, ideally without triggering a lengthy leadership contest. And that’s why he’s plotting to resign. To force the issue.
He won’t be the only one. This is coordinated. Other cabinet members may quickly follow, to pile on the pressure. That’s the gratitude Starmer gets for appointing Miliband to such a senior position. It’s a dirty business, politics, and Miliband has always been willing to use the dark arts.
Starmer plans to stand and fight. No doubt he’ll replace Miliband with a new energy secretary. Presumably someone more sensible, because they could hardly be less. But they won’t have time to put things right. Other resignations will follow until a leadership contest is triggered.
Let’s call this out for what it is: a coup. A left-wing coup. Britain will soon be run by a gang of ideologues it never voted for, and would cheerfully boot out given half a chance. And Miliband intends to be the senior figure. Not as PM, no. Nor his old job as energy secretary. He’s angling to be made Chancellor, where he can direct government policy. So next week’s resignation, if it happens, won’t be the joyful event many hoped. It’ll be the start of the real nightmare. Especially for taxpayers.
