The Sun reports that Ed Miliband is certain to stand against his brother for the Labour leadership. It looks like the pair have decided that a Granita-style pact would create more problems than it solves.
They are almost certainly right. Much of the angst of the New Labour years could have been avoided if Gordon Brown had simply been beaten by Tony Blair (and possibly John Prescott) in an open and democratic leadership election.
The media will be determined to portray this as a left v right contest, but the reality is far more complex. David Miliband, as Charlie Falconer reminded us on last night’s Question Time (where he was joined by our own Mehdi Hasan), does not consider himself as a Blairite.
Many know that David served as head of the No 10 policy unit during the Blair years, far fewer that he left because he was considered insufficiently reformist. His commitment to social justice should not be doubted: in an interview with the NS editor, Jason Cowley, he memorably spoke of the “red thread” that should run through both domestic and foreign policy.
Yet Ed remains a more unambiguously left-wing figure, at ease with the party’s history and traditions in a way few others are. He is also exceptionally popular with the grass roots of the party, as evidenced by the creation of an unofficial site urging him to stand. With the thoughtful Jon Cruddas also expected to enter the race shortly, this promises to be a fascinating contest.