Ed Miliband owes his victory to the unions, and whatever pact he made with them may haunt him

Fraser Nelson reviews the week in politics

At Labour party conference in Manchester last week, David Miliband’s supporters could be spotted at 20 paces. They were the ones walking around in a daze, still not quite able to take in what
had happened. They felt that their man had not so much lost as been assassinated, by a trade union hit squad which now seems to hold the balance of power in the Labour party. In the bars, some of
Miliband’s campaigners were trying to reconcile themselves to the way elections are fought within the party. ‘They stole it fair and square,’ one grumbled. There was no talk of
fightback. The defeat is final.

The trade union leaders, by contrast, were walking around Manchester with a regal air — congratulating each other on what was, admittedly, an incredible victory. There may be no vast
political difference between David and Ed Miliband, but they had been chosen to represent two warring tribes: those who wish to preserve the New Labour project, and those who wish to destroy it.