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Gordon Brown 'thinks Ed Miliband will be Labour leader'
Pippa Crerar and Paul Waugh30 Jul 2010
Gordon Brown believes that Ed Miliband is the candidate best placed to win the Labour leadership, the Evening Standard has been told.
A source close to the former Prime Minister has revealed that he considers the shadow climate change secretary is likely to triumph when the new leader is elected in September.
The source, who has no links to the Ed Miliband campaign, also claimed Mr Brown had concluded that his former protégé Ed Balls could not now win the race.
Mr Miliband's odds of beating his brother David have been slashed in recent days after he won the endorsement of Britain's biggest unions.
A new YouGov/Sun poll of Labour members and trade unionists today showed him narrowly behind his older brother in the race for the top job.
Miliband senior had 37 per cent of first preference votes, with his brother on 29 per cent. Diane Abbott and Andy Burnham were joint third on 12 per cent, while Mr Balls was on 11 per cent. But Ed Miliband is doing better on second preferences, leading David by 29per cent against to 21.
Many in the party had suspected that Mr Brown would be privately backing Mr Balls, who was his loyal aide in opposition and chief economic adviser for years at the Treasury.
Mr Brown has always insisted he will be backing no candidate in the race. But the source close to the former premier said he had been upset by Mr Ball's criticism of his handling of immigration as an issue.
The source said: "Gordon certainly started off trying to persuade people that Ed Balls was a good thing and was originally going to support him, but then Ed came out with the immigration stuff and Gordon was furious."
A spokesman for Mr Brown strongly denied he was backing any candidate and stressed that he was not upset with Mr Balls for his remarks. "He has been neutral about this, publicly and privately. He doesn't have a strong view about which candidate will beat the Tories."
Reader views (25)
For once I hope Brownsleeves is right and then we can look forward to a future where Labour is nowhere to be seen. If this is the best that the party can put forward for leader, then it is truly going nowhere. Millipede as Prime Minister? You're 'avin a larf, aintcher?
- ID, Brighton UK, 31/07/2010 16:46
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Great comments - James, you are spot on mate ! Gormless lying Gordon, nobody wanted to listen to your stupid lies when you were chancellor and then PM, we were forced to do so by the media which your devious little assistants Mandy and Campbell controlled. Now you are out and we are free, just please go back to the bog country where you came from and let us never ever see or hear from you again. You were an unmitigated disaster as chancellor and it was embarrassing to watch you as PM. Please just crawl away now
- Kevin Bollox, London, 31/07/2010 13:00
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Having been a lifelong Labour supporter, I am so alienated by this middle/ upper class bunch of chancers + careerists that wouldn't understand a Labour principle if it bit them on the ass,there is little difference between Labour + Conservative Mp's who both patronize the electorate and talk down to the working class, I don't care who becomes the new leader and I will never vote again having been betrayed by the so called 'LABOUR Government'. I long for the return to politics of people who put principles ahead of their pockets and their careers, but I fear that will never happen.
- Tim, Newport, Wales., 31/07/2010 11:53
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Miliband for future PM by God i hope he does a better job than when he was the Minister for Energy. He helped to sell off most of our Power companies to foreign firms and allowed them to charge what they liked for their Electric and Gas.Now it seeems that in the next 10 years we will be short of Energy.Good old Labour and Miliband.
- stan white, leeds uk, 31/07/2010 08:10
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Zoggonian jnr or Zoggonian snr for Next Labour leader? You have to admire their, and their clown of a promoter's gall.
Back into your box, Brownstuff - your political day is done.
- Ted, Orkney, 31/07/2010 07:09
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Does anyone else think that he looks a bit like a blow up doll when he does that weird facial expression?
Maybe theres some money in this one...
Oh, Gordon, no one cares what you think. You were an idiot when you were a numerically inept chancellor, you were an idiot as an unelected PM, and now you are a nothing, but you are still an idiot.
- James, London, 31/07/2010 02:36
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The article itself demeans the "journalists" who wrote it and the newspaper that printed it. It contains nothing of any substance and is not worth reading.
- B.J.Hedges, Coleraine , N. Ireland, 30/07/2010 22:00
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John, St Albans - you forget the penchant for people to forgive and forget, given half an excuse (and don't forget the poison pill Labour left for the current government, the austerity requirements that people will blame on them rather than the creators of the problem) - and there's always the young and idealistic voting for the first time who are always ripe for the cry for 'change', reflecting THEIR generation.
So, much as I dislike their ways, Labour have merely taken a kicking and are laying bloodily to one side for now. They'll be back with all of their sanctimonious care of the underdog, as long as said underdog keeps them in the lifestyle the priviged few think they deserve, a distinct correlation with the nobility they seek to supplant. Socialism generally, no less than hardline communism before them, requires a peasant class to play to. It is in the interests of the socialist movement's continuation to maintain a peasant class - much like the one they imported in their gerrymandering scheme with the unrestrained immigration of that last decade.
Capitalism is far from perfect, but it generally calls for people to lift themselves out of the mire. Socialism needs them to stay where they are so they can continue to feel the pain of deprivation equally so that resentment can fester more consistently.
- Rogan, Irving, 30/07/2010 18:51
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Here's a great idea for the Governments "Your Freedom" website:
When it comes to the publishing of an honest opinion on Gordon Brown & the labour party, all restrictions on foul language & insults should be lifted.
- Marco Marboni, Kettering, UK, 30/07/2010 18:47
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Does any of it matter? Balls to Balls – he’s out, Diane Abbot is lovely but completely extraneous to the race and despite what she protests is utterly NewLabour in habit if not talk having paid the fees to keep her some out of state education and in private school – so again without principle. Andy Whatsisname is making a mess by saying things that go completely against all he stood for in government – another liar?? And then there are the Millipedes – the fine sons of Ralph, born Adolphe, Miliband, a well known Marxist.
I think is quite nice that he is buried in Highgate Cemetery close to Karl Marx and many celebrated left-leaning minds of the 20th century.
Anyway back to the Millennium Brothers – one being the former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the other the former Minister for the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, was promoted to the position of Secretary of the newly-formed Department of Energy and Climate Change and who recently had the task of drafting Labour's manifesto for the 2010 general election. So how come they did not believe what Gordy was doing and now want to say something completely different? They are all political con artist, intellectual swindlers, cerebral counterfeiters and power addicts – morally bereft of all that is right and proper.
The Labour party has somehow set itself on the road to becoming completely unelectable for years to come with a younger version of the abomination that seized control of Brittan and turned it into a very unpleasant land.
- John, St Albans, 30/07/2010 18:29
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I was wondering when Brown was going to emerge from under the stone where he has been hiding since he lost the election!!!
- Mark, Born In Walworth!!! - Lives In Sidcup!!!, 30/07/2010 18:16
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NOBODY IS INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU THINK BROWN YOU RUINED THIS COUNTRY NOW GO AWAY AND MAKE SURE YOUR NOT CLAIMING PARLIMENTRY EXPENCES BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT BEEN THERE SO NO FIDDLING
- anon leicester, leicester, 30/07/2010 18:14
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Honestly Gormless, no-one gives a toss about what you say.
The only words we wanted to hear from you were "I'm resigning as PM".
I think that labour won't be in government at least till the next generations generation is born & still I have my doubts.
- Marco Marboni, Kettering, UK, 30/07/2010 18:03
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Is anybody really interested what Gordon Brown thinks.??
- Davey_buoy, Chertsey, 30/07/2010 17:30
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You would think Gordon and his gang would slink off in shame after destroying the country, but they are still bold as brass, dont they reaslise people are sick of them, I would like to stick an apple in his open mouth
- Peter Woods, Salento, 30/07/2010 16:19
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Kiss of death for Milliband Jnr.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Appalled, Swindon, Wilts, 30/07/2010 16:06
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Mercifully, Brown no longer has the power to continue ruining our country. Does anyone actually care what he thinks about the Labour leadership or anything else?
- James, Hammersmith, 30/07/2010 15:05
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Reuben: David Miliband "Marxist Communist"?. David Miliband is as Marxist Communist as Tony Blair, and by that yardstick, Margaret Thatcher. No doubt you were joking?
Mr Brown's endorsement of his younger brother will no doubt secure the unbelieveably pompous David the leadership, and with it, any hopes Labour might have of returning to power at the next election. The Blairite versus Brownite intercine wars will continue.
- Alan, Romford Essex, 30/07/2010 14:43
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its all a big joke
the whole world is a big joke
after labour csn anyone take Charles Darwins theory seriously
perhaps the russian circus could use the Millibandy brothers
sweeping elephant shit would be good.
- tony gray, east grinstead, 30/07/2010 14:27
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I see from the above picture that Brown still has his big gob open spouting drivel. What the hell would he know about choosing a leader of anything? Stupid unintelligent arrogant man. Go back where you came from and stay there.
- MJ, East Anglia, 30/07/2010 14:16
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Jonah Brown has spoken - Ed Milliband is sunk.
- Alan, Essex, 30/07/2010 13:54
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oh Gordon, u would have got it right for once had u said Davaid. Oh why oh why did u not say David.
- jeff, peckham, 30/07/2010 13:38
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Gordon Brown believes that Ed Miliband is the candidate best placed to win the Labour leadership, the Evening Standard has been told.
My vote would go to David Blunkett's dog; as the best new leader of the New Labour Party.
At least the dog is honest and hard working.
- mickinlondon, london, 30/07/2010 13:34
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Since Brown always has his finger on the pulse of the nation, I'd put my money on the other Banana brother.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 30/07/2010 13:29
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Balls to Gormless Brown.
Balls to Milibananabrainless.
Balls to Balls.
How these Marxist Communists dare show their faces (all of them) beggars belief - after putting the UK £4TRILLION IN DEBT.
- Reuben Camara, Plot 1, Morecambe Compound, UKSSR, 30/07/2010 13:10
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