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Union leader backs Ed Miliband to lead Labour after Brown
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor11 Sep 2009
Gordon Brown should be replaced by Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband if he can't pull Labour out of its current polling woes, the boss of Britain's biggest union warned today.
Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of the Unite union, said that the credit crunch had left New Labour as dead as a "Monty Python parrot" but Mr Brown had failed to change party policy to reflect voters' concerns.
Mr Simpson said that "the answer is to change the policies of the Labour Party and if necessary change the people of the Labour Party". Mr Miliband, 39, "has potential to be a lot more progressive", he added.
His words came as the Prime Minister held a crunch meeting with 15 union leaders at Chequers today, part of a move to reassure Labour's paymasters ahead of next week's TUC conference.
It also emerged that union leaders are beginning to back electoral reform as a last-gasp way of stopping David Cameron getting to Number 10.
In a bid to boost Labour turnout and win Liberal Democrat votes, Mr Brown is looking at plans to stage a referendum on the voting system on the same day as the next general election.
Today's Chequers meeting had been drafted to "clear the decks" ahead of the TUC in Liverpool but union bosses have seized on their chance to ram home the message that they are paying huge sums to prop up Labour but getting little in return.
Issues such as public-sector pensions are set to be raised, but Mr Brown is keen to keep a lid on pay deals.
Amid speculation that Mr Brown could step down in the New Year if Labour fails to turn around its polls performance, MPs believe a contest could include Alan Johnson, David Miliband and Ed Balls.
But Mr Simpson, whose union gives £15 million a year to Labour, warned against a lurch back to Blairite policies and said that the Foreign Secretary's younger brother Ed was his favoured choice for party leader.
"This is no time for mincing words, The party is at best eight months away from a general election. If you want to go down the New Labour route it is suicide.
"New Labour is dead. It's like the parrot in Monty Python. If Gordon is not prepared to do it he should stand aside," Mr Simpson told the Daily Mirror."
He said the recession should prompt the Government to ditch its plans to privatise public services and focus more on boosting manufacturing rather than the City.
Reader views (9)
I can understand the Unions going for poor Ed. He would be the easiest target to be bulied and threatened. The other lot would not know how to open the front door of No. 10. That is, of course, that they will each still have a seat left after the 2010 blood letting of Labour.
- Albert Hall, hove england, 16/09/2009 16:56
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Yes please, make Mr Green the next Labour leader. That'll guarantee about 12 votes from the bean munchers and a generation in the wilderness for the worst government ever to bear tht title. Oh, and that loony from Luton will probably vote for him too.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 11/09/2009 15:30
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Which just goes to show how out of touch the unions are with the people. I for one would immediately bail out of any union that supports Labour now. How much damage do they want done?
Something about feathering your own nest springs to mind.
- Roger, Surrey, 11/09/2009 15:20
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How surprising. Looking at 'electoral reform', not because it is in their view for the good of the country, but because it might help the Labour Party.
Kinda says it all, doesn't it?
- Rogan, Irving, 11/09/2009 15:14
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Let's be honest, there's no one in the current cabinet fit for purpose, so you could replace Gordon with Biffo the clown and no one would notice.
- Bob, Cheam, 11/09/2009 14:08
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Replace him with whoever you like.They won't get back in!
- Steve, London, 11/09/2009 13:59
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The question should be who cares who leads labour after Broon.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 11/09/2009 13:38
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Milibanana as Prime Minister? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Balls as Prime Minister? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Meddlesum as Prime Minister? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
The entire gaggle of Labour wombles can get lost come the general election.
JOE PUBLIC IS SICK TO DEATH OF THE LIES CHURNED OUT BY THE DOWNING STREET SPIN AND WAFFLE MERCHANTS.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 11/09/2009 12:18
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the only thing labour has done for working people is increase taxes and increase taxes and so on....
- John Graham, london UK, 11/09/2009 11:18
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