David Miliband steps down as MP

Ardemax · 27-03-2013, 12:25 AM

Source: The Mirror

David Miliband is to stun Parliament by stepping down as an MP tomorrow to take up a “dream job” in New York.
The former Foreign Secretary - and brother of Labour leader Ed - intends to make the shock announcement tomorrow morning.

The Mirror understands he intends to step down with immediate effect, triggering a by-election in May.
He is thought to have confided in just a handful of close allies about his decision.

Ed Miliband spoke to his older brother for a “little while” after he told him he was leaving.
The Labour leader was reported to have wished him well with “sadness”.

A source close to Mr Miliband, who has been MP for South Shields since June 2001, confirmed he would step down tomorrow.
“David has landed a dream job in charge of a charity in New York and wants to take it,” said the source.
“But it means leaving politics.”

It is believed he will take up a senior role with the charity International Rescue Committee with immediate effect.
His departure will be seen as a major blow to the right of the Labour Party.

But it will be a major boost to his brother Ed who will now no longer have to look over his shoulder at a possible leader in waiting.
The dramatic announcement brings to a close a Parliamentary career which turned on the key battle for the Labour leadership more than two years ago.
In September 2010, David missed out on taking over as party leader by the tightest of margins to his brother.
Despite being early favourite, he got 49% of the votes against Ed’s 51%.

Although he was backed by the majority of MPs and party members, he lost when the union vote swung behind his brother.

More here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...labour-1786858

Huge blow for Labour imo. I thought he would take over from Ed and it would be Dave v. Dave. Oh well.

**-:Undertaker:-** · 27-03-2013, 06:08 AM

I don't care for personality but he always came across as arrogant. More importantly, I loathed his policies and the policies of his government (now continued by this government). That being said, all this speculation over Edward Miliband's leadership is almost solely coming from the Conservative Party who are trying to whip up a campaign against Miliband just as they did with Brown - a smear campaign not based on dreadful policy (which would be easy to attack Miliband over, considering he was the one who brought in the Climate Change Act .. which the useless Tories voted for en mass) but based on personality.

It reminded me very much of this history example the other day (video at the bottom) http://conservativecompanion.co.uk/2...-party-part-1/.