Gordon Brown is secretly backing David Miliband to be the European Union’s foreign affairs chief — clearing the way for one of his protégés to be Labour’s next leader.
Downing Street is discreetly supporting the foreign secretary as a candidate for EU high representative for foreign affairs, with Tony Blair looking increasingly unlikely to win the presidency.
Miliband’s departure for Europe would increase the chances of one of the prime minister’s chosen candidates, Ed Balls or Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary’s brother, winning a leadership contest if Labour is defeated at the general election.
Publicly, the foreign secretary insists that he is “not available” for the post, the second most important role created by the Lisbon treaty, which is set to be ratified this month.
However, senior No 10 sources have revealed that Brown believes Miliband is ideally qualified for the job and is actively supporting his candidacy behind the scenes.
A Downing Street staffer said: “This is being taken very seriously. Diplomatic channels in the Foreign Office are working behind the scenes on David’s behalf.”
It emerged last night that Miliband has held secret talks with senior politicians in Brussels about running for the job.
Martin Schulz, the German leader of the socialist bloc in the European parliament, which is campaigning for the foreign secretary to win the post, said: “I have had several very positive discussions regarding the matter with Miliband recently.”
The Downing Street operation is being conducted discreetly to avoid embarrassing Blair, who remains the official preferred British candidate for a top Brussels job.
However, the former prime minister’s hopes of securing the presidency have faded, following statements by Germany and France indicating they will not back him.
By contrast, Miliband remains the clear frontrunner for the high representative job, with widespread backing from European Union member states, despite pressure from some quarters for a female candidate. The No 10 source said: “Behind it all there is very careful consideration being given to David getting this job.
“One of the key qualifications is having clout in America. David has a very good relationship with Hillary Clinton [the US secretary of state] and is highly regarded in Washington, so he is very well placed.”
The Sunday Times has learnt that Miliband has secretly held a number of discussions with the socialist faction in the European parliament about running for the job. Schulz, who said Miliband would make a “superb candidate”, refused to elaborate on the private talks.
“I will not say anything that could [put] any of my British colleagues in a difficult position,” he said.
The disclosure that No 10 is preparing to throw its weight behind Miliband will prompt speculation that Brown has given up on Blair’s hopes, since British candidates could not fill both Brussels posts.
Miliband was widely expected to run for the Labour leadership next year in the event of the party losing power after the general election, securing widespread support from the Blairite right of the party. His departure to Brussels would be a boon for Balls, the schools secretary, who is Brown’s most loyal henchman and who has made no secret of his ambition to lead the party.
It would also allow Ed Miliband, a former adviser to Brown, to throw his hat into the ring. It is widely assumed at Westminster that the climate change secretary, who is more popular among backbenchers than his sibling, would not run against his older brother.
While Brown has promoted Miliband, he has never forgiven the foreign secretary for toying with challenging him for the party leadership when Blair left office.
The EU president and high representative will not be appointed until the Lisbon treaty has been ratified. It awaits the signature of Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, the only country yet to ratify it. He is expected to sign this month. The council of ministers will then meet to elect the president and high representative by qualified majority.
A spokeswoman for the foreign secretary insisted last night he was not a candidate for the Brussels job and was “working hard” for Blair.
Order By:
Would you like to post a comment? Please register or log in
.rss-item { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 1px 0; } .rss-item a:link, .rss-item a:visited, .rss-item a:active { text-decoration : none; color: #666; } .rss-item a:hover { text-decoration:underline; color: #06c; } TIMES POLITICS TWITTER
Follow @theredbox, @dannythefink, @NicoHines and @timespolitics for the latest political tweets
.rss-item { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 1px 0; } .rss-item a:link, .rss-item a:visited, .rss-item a:active { text-decoration : none; color: #666; } .rss-item a:hover { text-decoration:underline; color: #06c; } RED BOX
Sam Coates keeps you up-to-date with events from Westminster
Content recommendations by Evri.com Evri.$(window).load(function () { Evri.API.Environment.set('staticAssetBaseUrl','http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c113142/widget') /* Entertainment */ var sources = [ "guardian.co.uk", "independent.co.uk", "telegraph.co.uk", "dailymail.co.uk", "bbc.co.uk", "nytimes.com", "washingtonpost.com", "latimes.com", "reuters.com" ]; var widget = Evri.Widget.TimesOnline.initWithSources(sources); widget.getGraphForCurrentPage(); });
MOST READ MOST COMMENTED MOST CURIOUS Most Read Skip Most Read Today Stephen Fry in a flutter at horrid tweeters... Barack and Michelle Obama: Mr&Mrs show... The 50 Biggest Movies of 2009 Manchester United eye £35m Luis Suarez MOST COMMENTED Skip Editor's Pick Today if(isArticle == "true" && articleHeadlines.length!=0){ for(var j=0; j=45){ headline = articleHeadlines[j].substring(0,44)+"..."; } document.write(""+headline +""); } }else{ fSubmitMostCommented('http://community.timesonline.co.uk/ver1.0/Direct/Process'); } MOST CURIOUS Skip Most Curious Today Harry and Charlie Davies-Carr: Web gets... BBC gives top writer lesson on... Plastic nerves may give new limbs feelings Psychic computer shows your thoughts on... Focus Zone Northern Lights:
Explore Newcastle Gateshead with the award-winning childrens author David Almond
Need to Know:
Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast
Business Travel:
Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip
Winter Sports:
Get ready for the winter sports season, with our resort guides and snow reports
British Business:
We are backing British business, what is the confidence of the nation and what businesses are succeeding?
The Future of Energy:
Growing demand for energy, oil that is harder to reach and the rise of carbon dioxide emissions. We examine the energy challenge
More reports:
Enjoy further reading from Travel to Fashion, Business to Sport, discover more
Northern Lights Need to Know Business Travel Winter Sports British Business The Future of Energy More reports Find an IFA
Find a local independent financial advisor
Find a Lawyer
Cut your legal costs
Business city guides
Overseas contacts and local business information
Related Report Future of Energy
The energy crisis
Financial Brochures Requires IE5.0 or higher/Netscape 6.0 or higher. Your browser doesn't support IFrames, sorry. Online Sudoku with daily prizes Free credit report
Online credit history with CreditExpert from Experian
Popular Searches on Times Online 2010 movies | books | chess | crosswords | fantasy football | fashion | formula 1 | horoscopes | Michael Jackson | need to know | obituaries | recipes | redundancy calculator | science | sudoku | swine flu | twitter | university guide | wine | wintersun
Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles
Classifieds Cars Jobs Property Travel Cars Skip Cars of the Week New Audi A5 2.0 TDI Sportback
36-month car lease on contract hire for £359.99 plus VAT pm
Virgin Car Insurance
12 months for the price of 11 and a 5% discount. Offer ends 31/11/09
Prestige Car Finance
The UK's leading alternative to showroom finance. Finance packages tailored to your needs. Minimum loan of £15,000
Great car insurance deals online
Car Insurance
Search for more cars and bikes Jobs Skip Jobs of the Week GENERAL MANAGER
Not specified Jersy Post International Development (JPID) Jersey, Channel Islands
Head of Information Systems
£61,488 – £73,182 Sussex Police London
The National Engineering & Construction Recruitment Exhibition
27 & 28 November 2009 Birmingham
Sales & Account Manager, Financials
Wood Mackenzie London
Search more Jobs Properties Find your perfect new home with Taylor Wimpey
Refurbished four bedroom town house near Chelsea Green.
For sale with Winkworth.
Eager to get on the property ladder? Find out about shared ownership.
Looking for a Mortgage?
See your free Experian credit report beforehand
Search for more properties Holidays Skip Travel of the Week Amazing Canada Ski deals fr £479pp
Book now & save over £100pp. 11 cool resorts, lowest prices... Early Booking offers 15 Nov.
Sunvil
20% off selected Azores holidays taken in October with Sunvil Discovery
Great Travel Insurance
Get covered on your travels with a superb range of policies at great prices. Visit InsureandGo.com
Fabulous Villas in Barbados
World Class Golf, Spa and preferential Beach Club.��Private estate overlooking West Coast Villas from £275 per night inclusive of Golf
Search for more holidays Place your advert now
Search Ad Reference:
Where am I?
Home News Politics Contact us Back to top NewsCommentBusinessMoneySportLife & StyleTravelDrivingArts & EntsArchive Times Online Times Archive Google TLS Archive
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times, or place your advertisement.
Times Online Services: Dating | Jobs | Property Search | Used Cars | Holidays | Births, Marriages, Deaths | Subscriptions | E-paper
News International associated websites: Globrix Property Search | Milkround
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.
Read Full Article »
