Brown's Back!

Oh yes! On the day he was vindicated, for when in the last General Election, as Prime Minister he warned, "cut now and risk a double dip recession", GB returned with an world exclusive interview on CNBC in the US, where he will attend President Obama State of the Union address tonight. I woke up this morning, seeing the figures of -0.5% contraction of the British economy, and thought I would gladly pay for a poster, with Gordon Browns face on it, the headline saying, " I told you so"!

In the interview, Brown attacked the "complacency" of George Osborne over Britain's lack of growth and said he hoped President Obama's fiscal stimulus alternative could pull the West towards a viable recovery.
"Whatever you take account of in terms of the weather it's clearly a trend where the rate of growth has been slowing,

He also stressed that it was time for the G20 to agree a consensus on how to stimulate growth while cutting deficits.

Brown also sounded like he'd been talking to Obama and the Dems ahead of the Pres's State of the Union speech.
"I think President Obama understands that this is an issue and I think he will speak about it this evening. It's something that President Sarkozy wants the G20 to be active on this year. But I would not underestimate the importance of giving markets confidence by governments saying, just as in 2009, 'We've got a grip on this situation. We know there's a deficit reduction to take place, but we also know that growth has got to happen.'"

But then he added his wider point about the dangers of cutting too fast, too soon.
"To be honest, if we have only deficit reduction, then that's the policy of the 1930s."

Downing Street should listen to the man how saved the world when the banking crisis hit.

Andy Coulson resigns as No 10 director of communications

Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson has quit after admitting the News of the World phone-hacking row was making his job impossible.

In a personal statement issued by Number 10, Mr Coulson said the drip-drip of claims about illegal eavesdropping under his editorship meant he could not "give the 110% needed"."I stand by what I've said about those events but when the spokesman needs a spokesman it's time to move on," he added.

The Prime Minister said he was "very sorry" that Mr Coulson felt "compelled" to go after months of intense pressure, insisting he was being "punished for the same offence twice".

But critics insisted the resignation was "long overdue", and questioned Mr Cameron's judgment in recruiting the former journalist in the first place.

The timing also sparked accusations that the Government was trying to "bury bad news" while Tony Blair was appearing at the Iraq Inquiry, and with the furore over shadow chancellor Alan Johnson's departure still raging.

New Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls's television interview

18:20 BREAKING NEWS: Ed Balls, the new Shadow Chancellor has spoken to the media saying, “It is a great honour to be appointed to this post, and to succeed my friend and colleague Alan Johnson whose commitment to social justice and service to the Labour Party is second to none.

“Over the past few months, Alan and Ed have set out a clear direction on economic policy and challenged the Conservative-led Government’s false claim that our investment in schools, hospitals and police, rather than the global financial crisis, caused the deficit.

“Our task ahead is to take on George Osborne and David Cameron’s decision to cut too far and too fast, recklessly putting jobs and growth at risk. We will hold them to account for the decisions they have taken, from raising VAT to scrapping the Future Jobs Fund and education maintenance allowances.

“We will set out to the public that there is an alternative: a fair economy which puts jobs and growth first. I look forward to taking on and winning this argument.”

LIVE : Ed Miliband statement

17:32 BREAKING NEWS: Ed Miliband has given an interview, which has just been shown on the BBC. He insisted that Johnson has stepped down for personal reasons and not political differences.

"Alan Johnson was the right man for the job. He has had to stand down for personal reasons, nothing to do with this job"

He was asked whether the appointment of Balls signalled a change in direction for economic policy – as Nick Watt says below, Balls had a more hawkish line on the deficit. But Miliband insisted that his views were "similar". He added:

"I am looking forward to working with him, in the direction that Alan has set out"

BREAKING NEWS : Alan Johnson has resigned - Ed Balls New Shadow Chancellor

17:10 BREAKING NEWS : Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson is to resign "for personal and family reasons".

Ed Balls will replace Mr Johnson, with Yvette Cooper replacing her husband as Shadow Home Secretary and Douglas Alexander taking over the role of Shadow Foreign Secretary and Liam Byrne as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. Tessa Jowell becomes Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office alongside her responsibilities for the Olympics.
In a statement he said: "I have found it difficult to cope with these personal issues in my private life whilst carrying out an important front bench role."
Ed Miliband said he accepted the resignation with "great regret" adding: “Ed Balls is an outstanding economist and is hugely qualified to take our economic message to the country.

“In Yvette, Douglas, Liam and Tessa, we have a team which combines extensive experience in government and determination in opposition.
“I am proud that Labour has a strong, confident Shadow Cabinet that will expose the mistakes of this Conservative-led government.

“Together we will put the economy at the forefront of our argument as we work hard to regain the trust of the British people.

Spending Review : "this is what they came into politics for"

Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson has denounced spending cuts plans as a "reckless gamble with people's livelihoods".

Responding to George Osborne's Spending Review, he accused ministers of "throwing people out of work".

Amid noisy scenes in the Commons he declared: "We've seen people cheering the deepest cuts to public spending in living memory. "For some members opposite this is their ideological objective ... this is what they came into politics for."

The shadow chancellor acknowledged the "deficit has to be paid down" but said: "Today's reckless gamble with people's livelihoods runs the risk of stifling the fragile recovery."

He said the last CSR took place in 2007. Was George Osborne arguing for reduced public spending then, he asks. No. Osborne was arguing for more public spending then, Johnson says. And far from calling for regulation of the banks, the Tories were calling for deregulation of the banks. John Redwood had written a report for the party recommending this, he says.

Johnson mocked the Lib Dems for changing their stance on whether cuts would be justified this year. He said Nick Clegg changed his mind between the ballot box closing and the door of the ministerial car opening.

He also pointed out that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not support Osborne's stance on the deficit. "Perhaps that's why he calls himself a one-nation Tory," he says.

Spending Review : Osborne wields spending axe

Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled the biggest UK spending cuts since World War II, with welfare, councils and police budgets all hit. The Chancellor confirmed that the bloodiest cuts since the Second World War will lead to 500,000 job losses in the public sector - almost one in 10 of the total.

Unveiling what one Government source described as a tsunami of grim news, Mr Osborne said: ‘It is a hard road but it will lead to a better future.

The main headlines in today spending review were;

* The Treasury cut by 33%

* Local Government cut by 27%

* The Home Office cut by 26%

* The Justice Department cut by 26%

* The Business Department cut by 25%

* The Culture Department cut by 24%

* Transport cut by 21%

* The Foreign Office budget will see savings of 24% through a sharp reduction in the number of Whitehall-based diplomats and back office functions.

* Proposals will be set out to replace all working-age benefits and tax credits with a single, simple Universal Credit.

* BBC to fund BBC World Service and BBC Monitor as well as part-funding S4C, saving the Treasury £340 million a year, with the license fee frozen for the next six years - equivalent to a 16% saving in the BBC budget over the period.

Spending Review 2010 : Here we Go....

LIVE : The Chancellor is on his feet in the Commons to announce his spending review. His opening statement: 'Today is the day when Britain steps back from the brink!

LIVE: A very lively Cameron vs Miliband clash!

The PM and the labour leader are clashing in the commons now on the economy.

The PM and Miliband both appears to be enjoying a boisterous PMQs - but Cameron refuses to say whether govt would change cuts plans if economy falters.

David Cameron also said the economy was "out of the danger zone" at prime minister's questions. He stressed that the independent Office of Budget Responsibility was forecasting that "unemployment will fall next year, the year after and the year after that." However Ed Miliband said those at risk of losing their jobs needed reassurance on the spending review, and asked if the government would revise its plans for deficit reduction if unemployment rose next year. But Mr Cameron said he was "protecting peoples' jobs and livelihoods"

Although a bit rich of Cameron to mock Ed Miliband for being a former treasury adviser when he did same job during Black Wednesday!

On the eve of "axe wednesday"

The waiting is over, the day of reckoning is upon us, a landmark day in British political and economic history has begun, "Axe Wednesday" is here!

At 12:30pm, the Chancellor, George Osborne will stand up in the House Of Commons, and announce a package of draconian cuts, never seen in the history of Britain.

Just under half a million public sector jobs will be axed!

50% of the council housing budget to be axed!

Prisons across England to be axed!

Housing Benefit, Child Benefit and Incapacity Benefit to be partially axed!

Oh there will be more, and probably a couple of surprises..

Strategic Defence Review

Aircraft carriers without aircraft...

A £3bn ship being built which the government doesn't really want and may sell soon after it's finished...

Trident's renewal postponed - allowing a future (Lab/Lib?) government to re-open the question of the need for a continuous at-sea deterrence again...

Pause for a minute and imagine how the press would have greeted these proposals if Gordon Brown had announced them!

The Tory biased media would have screamed bloody murder! Yet as David Cameron announced the changes in Defense policy, the media greeted it with a nervous silence.

Alastair Campbell was right when he used the media was aggressively hostile and biased against our former prime minister, Gordon Brown!

Ed Miliband appionting his junior shadow ministerial team

Labour leader Ed Miliband is tonight creating his full shadow ministerial team, the headline appointment is that of Diana Abbot, she has been appointed to shadow Public Health Minister.
Rumours are flying about Micheal Dugher and Kevan Jones to be Shadow Defence Ministers, names also being mooted are Chuka Umuna, Andrew Gwynne, Andy Slaughter, Chris Bryant, Chris Leslie, Barbara Keeley, Ian Austin, Stephen Twigg and Wayne David.

is this a caretaker shadow cabinet? or an alternantive government..

aj will be old in 2015

creasy chuka reeves need to be in!

The New Labour Shadow Cabinet

aj chancellor
balls home
cooper foreign

Rumour: Alan Johnson has been offered Shadow Chancellor

11:39 BREAKING NEWS: Labour Uncut are breaking news that a rumour is going around Labour circles that the former Alan Johnson has been offered the post of Shadow Chancellor, and all the other post will depend on if Alan accepts that role.

Alan Johnson is a semi-blairite,but is loved and respected on all wings of the party, but this could be controversial because Mr Johnson has no economic credentials, except being the Trade and Industry Secretary in 2005-6, and that Yvette Cooper and her husband Ed Balls have much better claim to the key post in Ed Miliband's team.

Shadow cabinet election results

The members of Ed Miliband's new shadow cabinet were announced tonight amid intense speculation over who will scoop the top jobs.

Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls were both successful in the secret ballot of Labour's parliamentary party, and the married couple are thought to be vying for the coveted shadow chancellor role.

Miliband has signalled that he will take his time finalising the line-up of his team, with no formal appointments expected until tomorrow morning.

Cooper topped the ballot for the shadow cabinet, followed by John Healey, the former housing minister, and Balls, according to Labour sources.

Eight women won places on the 19-strong team, including – for the first time – Mary Craigh, Angela Eagle, Maria Eagle and Meg Hillier. But Diane Abbott, who stood in the leadership contest, missed out.

Douglas Alexander and Jim Murphy, the campaign organisers for the David Miliband campaign were elected.

Other senior figures successfully returned include former cabinet ministers Alan Johnson and Andy Burnham.

But there were also losers, such as ex-Welsh secretary Peter Hain, former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw and ex-Northern Ireland secretary Shaun Woodward, all of whom did not make the list

David Miliband's gone for now, he'l be back thou..

Hes gone but as he said in his own words he aint dead

David Miliband bows out of frontline Politics

David Miliband has finaly anounced he will not stand for a place in ghe shadow cabinet and has thus resigned.

Gordon Brown intervened to stop David Miliband's dream

22:00 BREAKING NEWS : The Guardian are reporting this evening that the former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, privately intervened in the Labour leadership election by ringing his friend and former close colleague, John Prescott, to try to persuade him not to put out a statement in support of David Miliband.

The former PM rang the former DPM after the Ed Miliband camp heard word that he was swinging behind David Miliband. Prescott was said to be impressed with the way the David Miliband was defending Labour's record in office.

This comes as it is now inevitable that David Miliband will bow out of front line politics, it is not clear weather he will stay as an MP or not.
This astonishing story will add to David's apparent disillusionment, with Brown still using his "clunking fist" against his former sparring partner's heir. (sparring partner = tony blair)

David Miliband Looks Set To Quit Shadow Cabinet

21:10 BREAKING NEWS David Miliband’s advisers are confirming that he is left Manchester and has arrived back to his London home. That is surely not the behaviour of a politician who is about to say he will run for the shadow cabinet and unite behind his brother.

I think this and all the other soundings coming from the Labour conference, is that David Miliband will announce his resignation tomorrow. He will cite family reasons and him not wanting to over-shadow his younger brother and possibly creating a new Blair-Brown psychodrama with a Miliband psychodrama.

"You voted for it, why are you clapping?"

During the leader's speech, ITV news cameras have picked up the David Miliband, with a look of pure murder on his face, leaning towards Harriet Harman as she happily applauded his brother's condemnation of the Iraq war. According to the station's lipreaders, he said: "Why are you clapping? You voted for it." To which Harman is said to have replied: "I'm clapping because he's leader and, as you know, I'm supporting him."

The friction between the two brothers over the issue simmered throughout the Labour leadership contest, but finally exploded into the open during Ed Miliband's maiden conferance speech as leader.

Despite repeated protestations of “love” between the two men the elder Miliband has clearly been devastated by his failure to beat his younger brother.

Campaign aides say he is still angry at the way Ed Miliband used the Iraq war as an issue to score political points against him.

A new generation for change

Ed Miliband cast Labour as the optimists of British politics as he sought to define his leadership and draw dividing lines between himself and the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.

In his first party conference speech as leader, Miliband vowed to drive David Cameron out of power after just one term and to counter the Tory leader's "miserable, pessimistic view" of what the country can achieve under the guise of spending cuts.

"We are the optimists in politics today," he told delegates as he dismissed the nickname "Red Ed" in an hour-long speech designed to place him in the centre ground, Miliband laid down a number of markers for Labour under his leadership.

These included:

• Acknowledging that some cuts would be necessary to cut the deficit

• Defending unions as part of a civilised society but warning that he would not support "irresponsible strikes"

• Promising to vote "yes" in a referendum on electoral reform

• Calling for a living wage and suggesting that Labour would take action against excessive boardroom pay

• Describing the Iraq war as wrong.

Labour now ahead in the polls!

22:30 BREAKING NEWS : YouGov have just released the latest poll, its put Labour in poll position to win the next general election, with labour on 40%, the conservaties on 39% and the lib dems on 16%.
This is the first time the Labour Party have been ahead in the polls since 2007 after Gordon Brown became Prime Minister.

will he stay or will he go?

david milliband future is the top news in british politics for the last 48 hours

Who will be the next Shadow Chancellor?

Ed Miliband apparently is in a "desperately complex knot," on who to appoint as his Shadow Chancellor and effectively the second most senior person in the shadow cabinet.

The obvious choice for shadow Chancellor is, Ed Balls. He has the best economic credentials in the whole of the Labour Party, and I'm sure wants the job. But appointing him would entail a significant shift in economic policy - to the Left.(Unless Balls's does a deal with Ed, to soften his stance against cutting the deficit)

And today's result, effectively decided by the unions, against the wishes of Labour MPs and members, means that Ed Miliband will think he needs to shift to the Right, and away from the unions, to answer Conservative taunts of 'Red Ed' and a "poodle of the unions".

Now the BBC's Micheal Crick is reporting that a senior Ed Milliband aide has told him that, David Miliband has been already offered a job as Shadow Chancellor. He was also told that Ed is desperately keen that David accepts; "He must accept it," one of Ed Miliband's senior advisers told Micheal Crick tonight. "He HAS to accept it."

I must add the betting agency's still have Ed Balls as the favourite to be the next shadow Chancellor, with David Milliband Second and Yvette Cooper third.

I strongly believe that Ed Balls should be appointed the new Shadow Chancellor. He is the best person, as he showed in the campaign, to rip apart the coalition's disastrous cuts agenda and set out a credible and radical alternative.

David Miliband's asset is his statesman-like demeanour, he should rightly remain as Shadow Foreign Sectary and i hope he is invited into Ed Miliband's inner circle, because the fight to win will be tough, David Milliaband is our star, we need him more than ever now.