Miliband tries to strengthen his hand

Ed Miliband is to abolish shadow cabinet elections. Tony Blair, fearful of the reaction of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), shied away from doing this. But Miliband has decided that it is a necessary move to give him the freedom to craft his own top team and to strike against the old, factional Labour culture.

Miliband has asked Tony Lloyd, chair of the PLP, to hold a secret ballot of Labour MPs on the change before parliament goes down for the summer. If they approve, it will then be passed to the NEC with the process ending with a vote at conference. Under Miliband’s proposed new arrangements, the PLP will be represented in shadow cabinet by its elected chair.

If this measure passes, I suspect the next shadow cabinet will include a large number of new Labour MPs. Those close to Miliband have been frustrated at how ineffective some members of the shadow Cabinet have been and are keen to promote some fresh faces.