The charm of Ed Miliband

Sitting opposite Ed Miliband MP in a large and airy office, the sort of office that befits the Minister for the Third Sector, I suddenly have the surreal impression that I’m at the doctor’s. It’s the medicinal green of the carpet but, more than that, it’s Ed’s demeanour. There he is on the sofa, all clean and healthy-looking, like a man who jogs and who knows how important it is to stay hydrated, and concerned too — leaning forward, his eyes bright with eagerness to fix things.

I’m here to find out what Ed’s about, because at only 37 he’s tipped for a grand job in Brown’s Cabinet; because one day, long after poor, desperate Gordon’s gone, either he or his better-known elder brother David (the Environment Secretary, famous for not standing against Brown) may well be at the helm of a new New Labour party, or a new Old Labour party; a new young New Old Labour party maybe.