Ed’s the man for us

Reporter: DAWN MARSDEN
Date online: 30 August 2010

LABOUR Party leadership candidate Ed Miliband paid a whistle-stop visit to Oldham to drum up support for his challenge.

The Shadow Energy Secretary spoke to councillors at Christ Church in Block Lane, Chadderton, just days before party members go to the polls to vote for their new leader.

Joining Mr Miliband (40) was Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher who is publicly backing him to win the title race.

The father of one, who is battling against his older brother David, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott, said he was trying to meet as many people as possible in the run up to the leadership election.

He added: “If we don’t change and don’t listen to the reasons why people left us, we won’t win the next election. We have to appeal with policies such as graduation tax instead of tuition fees, raising the minimum wage and investing in industry — changes Labour need to make to win back power.”

Ed Miliband’s key policies are to raise the minimum wage from £5.83 per hour to £7.14, to introduce a graduate tax to replace tuition fees and implement a high-pay commission to review the wages of the highest paid workers.

The Miliband brothers have been in the headlines after their mother, Marion Kozak, said she was fed up of her sons being at war.

But Mr Miliband said being in competition with his brother was not a problem.

He added: “It’s fine being up against my brother. We are getting on fine and Labour needs a confident leader. The party will unite behind whoever that person is.”

David Miliband is the bookies favourite to win the title with Ed a close second and is backed by Neil Kinnock, Tony Benn, Roy Hattersley and Peter Hain, as well as six trade unions