ED Miliband is plotting against Sir Keir Starmer and wants to make a comeback as Labour leader, party insiders say.
The Net Zero minister – dubbed Red Ed for his lefty views – has had a spectacular falling out with his former pal the PM.
GettyEd Miliband is said to be plotting against PM Keir Starmer, multiple Labour party sources said[/caption]
Senior Labour sources said he is “on manoeuvres” and plotting to try to “destabilise” Sir Keir as the Labour civil war deepens.
It comes just a week before the PM addresses his troops at what is being seen as a “make or break” party conference in Liverpool.
A senior government source said: “Everyone thinks Ed is plotting.
“Keir has been so loyal to Ed. Now, at the first moment the operation is creaking, Ed is out manoeuvring against him.
“It is ugly stuff.”
Red Ed had a furious dust-up with No10 when the PM tried to move him to become Housing Secretary in the reshuffle.
One person familiar with the row said Ed “went crazy” and was “really, really angry”.
Crown CopyrightPrime Minister Keir Starmer is facing plots and intrigue against his leadership[/caption]
The rift deepened when Mr Miliband became the first Cabinet minister to back Starmer critic Lucy Powell for the Labour party deputy leadership job.
Ms Powell was sacked in the recent reshuffle and has become a vocal critic of Sir Keir in recent weeks.
She is running against No10’s pick for the deputy job – Bridget Phillipson.
Ed Miliband was Labour leader from 2010 to 2015, and quit after losing to David Cameron in the election.
Another Labour frontbencher said: “Everyone knows Ed is out and plotting.
“But if people think the answer to a mid term wobble in the polls is to bring back a man who lost an election when he was leader last time, they have gone mad.”
Another Labour MP said: “Ed is setting himself up as the poster boy of Labour’s ‘Soft Left’ faction.”
“Some are actually starting to talk about the possibility he could come back as leader if Keir Starmer falls.”
A source close to Ed said: “This is nonsense.”
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