After a recent poll showed David Miliband topping the odds of winning the Labour Party leadership contest, and Ed Miliband following up in second place, the brothers today decided to form an alliance. They have announced their intention to run together for joint leadership.
David told reporters: "Coalitions are now a respected form of leadership, and we realised that if we banded together, nobody would be able to get anywhere near us. We didn't want to take the chance that there would not be a majority in favour of one or other of us. Now the party can vote for Team Miliband, knowing that we will be able to hold our own with Cameron and Clegg when we take up opposition."
His brother Ed agreed. "We are not just talking about a working agreement. We are talking about a fully committed coalition partnership for the good of Labour. I have had detailed discussions with everyone concerned, and once it became clear that a deal with Jon Cruddas or Ed Balls was not likely, I decided that a progressive David/Ed coalition would serve in the best interests of the Party."
A meeting of Labour's National Executive Committee on Tuesday is expected to decide whether or not a coalition will be allowed to run. If they are, it will be the first time in the history of the party. But it may not be plain sailing for the Milibands. Opening up the contest to coalitions could result in other potential leaders banding together into even larger groups to try to secure the role of Labour Party leader. The prospect of perhaps four or more joint leaders could well be on the cards.
