Big Mistake

John Rentoul writing in The Independent is also scathing about Ed Miliband's 'car crash' performance at Prime Minister's Questions and he highlights the key exchange about the Labour leader's bizarre decision to pose for The Sun newspaper only to issue a grovelling apology for his behaviour a few hours later.

Now that's not just any old mistake in my view because it makes Ed Miliband look perfectly ridiculous to be banging on about the Murdoch press only to pose for the kind of publicity that money can't buy - when it suits him.  

But to go on and apologise for his own behaviour is scarcely believable in an experienced politician who was a senior minister in the last Labour Government.   


PMQs: It would be a mistake for Miliband to ask about Coulson, so Coulson it was

The voters are not that interested in the small print of the phone hacking story, especially if the Leader of the Opposition fails to land a blow


By John Rentoul - The Independent

The worst idea for Ed Miliband would have been to ask all six questions about Andy Coulson, the Prime Minister’s former director of communications. The British public are much less offended by phone hacking than the non-Murdoch press and the non-Tory parties like to pretend.

Journalists are low-life, and eavesdropping is what they do. Most people probably thought, if you had bothered to ask them in 2007, when David Cameron hired Coulson, whether Coulson knew what was going on at the News of World when he was editor: Of course he did. Do they think less of politician low-life for hiring journalist low-life? Not really. Are they impressed by Miliband “standing up to Rupert Murdoch” by demanding the Leveson inquiry? Not much. They don’t think he showed leadership, they think he was like a year 11 boy who was bravely sarcastic once to a feared teacher.

The second-worst idea for Miliband would have been to ask his first question about Coulson, and then to move on to something about which the voters care. It might have been a bit rhetorical and party point-scoring, but he could have asked the question asked this morning by Ed Balls, the shadow Chancellor: what is the Prime Minister afraid of in refusing to allow the Office for Budget Responsibility to assess the parties’ election promises?

But no. What would Cameron want me to ask about, Miliband must have asked his PMQs prep team. “Coulson,” they chorused. So Coulson it was, for all six questions. The cliché count was a reliable indicator of the weakness of the opposition leader’s case. Cameron had “wilfully” ignored “multiple” warnings about hacking on “an industrial scale”. (On what scale was it? “An industrial scale.”)

Only by the time he got to question five did Miliband think he had hit on his “did you threaten to overrule him” question. Had Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, raised concerns about Coulson’s appointment? Cameron seemed to slide sideways a little in answer to that one: “Lord O’Donnell was very clear in his evidence to the Leveson inquiry.”

Miliband was full of toothy glee. Lord O’Donnell had not had not been asked about Coulson at the Leveson hearings, he exclaimed triumphantly. The Labour leader had caught the Prime Minister out. This bit of the conspiracy theory did not fall apart until after the session was over, when journalists looked up Lord O’Donnell’s written evidence to Leveson and found that he had in fact said: “I was not involved in the process of appointing Mr Coulson.”

But Miliband’s political failure was obvious long before he had sat down. The Tory heckle machine had started taunting him with cries of “weak” and he responded by telling Cameron he was weak for “failing to stand up for the right thing”. Cameron’s return was deadly: “Weak is holding up a copy of The Sun and apologising a few hours later.”

The Prime Minister reminded him that he had demanded a full, independent, judge-led inquiry into the hacking scandal and that it had failed to find the conspiracy between the Conservative Party and the Murdoch business for which Miliband had hoped. The Prime Minister did not point out that Miliband was supported in this venture by Nick Clegg, doing his mute statue routine on the bench next to him. Nor did he point out that Leveson’s remit specifically excluded court cases such as Coulson’s. But Miliband had already lost.

A more lawyerly performance from the leader of the opposition and Cameron might have been in trouble. You could imagine John Smith or Harold Wilson, with a little forensic precision and a little wit to carry the House, giving him an uncomfortable 11 minutes.

But it was a mistake to have raised the Coulson appointment in the first place. Not a single vote will change hands by rehashing old news. Indeed, some votes may have been lost by such an abject failure to score even a debating-society point.

Having It Both Ways (14 June 2014)

Here's a strange tale from the BBC web site which reports that Ed Miliband has apologised for any offence caused by him posing for The Sun newspaper. 

Strange because Ed Miliband must have know what he was doing before he did it, so he should either have declined the opportunity in the first place or answered his critics by saying that this is all in the past and that The Sun has since apologised for its toxic coverage of the Hillsborough disaster which happened 25 years ago. 

But by trying to have it both ways the Labour leader looks rather opportunistic and foolish.   

Ed Miliband apologises for offence over Sun picture

Ed Miliband has apologised for any offence caused after he posed with a copy of the Sun newspaper.

The Labour leader was pictured holding a special edition of the paper which was sent to millions of homes free to mark the start of the World Cup.

Labour MPs have criticised their leader for associating himself with the paper, which has long been criticised for its reporting of the Hillsborough disaster.

Mr Miliband said he "understood the anger" felt on Merseyside about it.

Groups representing victims and survivors of the 1989 tragedy expressed anger at Mr Miliband's actions, one describing them as an "absolute disgrace".

And a Labour councillor in Liverpool, Martin Cummins, has resigned from the party, suggesting Mr Miliband had "listened to unwise counsel in associating himself, and our party, with this degrading publication".

Mr Cummins said: "Seeing Ed promoting the Sun has rocked me to my core."

The Labour leader insisted that he had participated in the photo shoot to show his support for the England football team.

Ed Miliband poses with a special edition of The Sun

In a statement, a spokesman for the Labour leader said: "Ed Miliband was promoting England's bid to win the World Cup and is proud to do so.

"But he understands the anger that is felt towards the Sun over Hillsborough by many people in Merseyside and he is sorry to those who feel offended."

Mr Miliband, David Cameron and Nick Clegg all posed with copies of the Sun.

A Sun spokesman said: "The Sun wants to thank Ed Miliband for having his picture taken and cheering on England to #DoUsProud in Brazil.

"The free edition of The Sun is an unashamedly positive celebration of Englishness, and it should come as no surprise that politicians on all sides are happy to get behind our uplifting message."

'Sensitive time'

The move has caused anger in Liverpool, at a time when inquests are being held into the deaths of 96 Liverpool football supporters at Hillsborough in 1989.


Analysis by political correspondent Chris Mason

Was it a mistake for Ed Miliband to pose for a photo, complete with a smile and a copy of The Sun?

From his perspective, here's the plus side: The Sun is the country's biggest selling newspaper, and this wasn't just an ordinary edition of the paper.

It was being sent free to millions of homes across England.

As a political leader, would you want to miss the chance to look like you're getting in the World Cup spirit?

On the downside, don't underestimate the deep seated anger with The Sun on Merseyside or the depth or longevity of Labour support there.

The question is: did the downsides even cross Team Miliband's mind?

They're not saying - but do point out the Labour leader has written for The Sun before, and will do again.


The Sun has long been scorned in Liverpool for its coverage of the tragedy, after which it criticised the behaviour of Liverpool fans, suggesting they had robbed and urinated on victims and attacked police officers attending to the injured.

In 2012, it published a "profound" apology for what it said was an "inaccurate and offensive" report.

Steve Rotheram, MP for Liverpool Walton, said he and some of his colleagues had met Mr Miliband on Thursday to discuss the matter.

"He never meant any offence, but in my opinion it shouldn't have happened in the first place," he tweeted.

David Cameron and other leading politicians also featured in the paper

The Labour mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said many people would feel "insulted" by Mr Miliband's actions.

"Like everybody in this city I am really hurt and offended by Ed Miliband's support for The Sun newspaper," he said. "Such clear support for that publication at any time would be wrong but at such a sensitive time is deeply shocking."

"For the leader of the Labour Party to make such an offensive gesture insults not only me but every person in the city.

"This is just another example of how out of touch the politicians in their ivory towers are from the lives of ordinary people."

'Hoodwinked'

Writing on Labour list, Labour MP Tom Watson suggested the Labour leader had been "hoodwinked" by the newspaper.

"Scouse friends with accompanying passionate vernacular said that we had scored an 'own goal,'" he wrote.

Lord Storey: "I don't think people outside of Merseyside realise the great upset and harm The Sun caused to the people of this city"

He added: "It's not easy being leader of the opposition. There is always a conga line of trouble waiting at your office door. You're never far away from disagreement.

"And in those tiny moments of rest between the ennui of shadow cabinet meetings, there's a helpful spin doctor who can press a promotional copy of The Sun into your hands."

Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group - which represents 75 families - said she could not believe the pictures of the three party leaders and suggested "common sense should have prevailed at a very sensitive time for the families".

And Barry Devonside, of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, said it is "an absolute disgrace that the leader of the Labour Party got involved".

'Badly advised'

The Sun backed Labour under Tony Blair but withdrew its support before the 2010 election.

Mr Miliband has had a strained relationship with Rupert Murdoch, the Sun's proprietor, after leading calls for tougher press regulation in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.

Mr Clegg has also been urged to apologise by a Lib Dem councillor in Liverpool for an "error" of judgement in associating himself with the paper's offer.

"I have emailed Nick's advisors to ask what was he doing," Richard Kemp said. "I am particularly surprised at Nick Clegg, as Hillsborough is in his constituency."

He added: "I think he has been badly advised. He is not evil or stupid and I hold his advisers more responsible."

In response, a spokesman for the deputy prime minister said his show of support for the England football team "does not change his views on the Hillsborough tragedy".

"He understands the depth of feeling on Merseyside and elsewhere about what happened and that is why he played a pivotal role in government in ensuring that official documents relating to Hillsborough were released," the spokesman added.

A Conservative source said Mr Miliband's apology was an "extraordinary gaffe" which proved he lacked "moral conviction".