Labour leader Ed Miliband is planning a new year shake-up of the party’s organisational structure and campaigning strategy following a restructuring and new appointments to his leadership team.
After a three-month period in which he and close aides have been reviewing the lessons to be learned from the mistakes and rejection of the last Labour Government, Mr Miliband has set out a broad plan to ensure the greatest effectiveness from the Opposition team.
On December 14, the Shadow Cabinet met for a four-hour strategic planning meeting focusing on the challenges ahead in 2011. It followed the appointment of two key posts to the leadership team. Daily Mirror political editor Bob Roberts is to take up the position of communications chief, dealing directly with the media while Tom Baldwin, of The Times, is to join the team as a strategist.
Against a background of criticism in recent weeks that Labour was drifting under his leadership – much of it from disgruntled supporters of his brother David – Mr Miliband has made it clear to colleagues that he does not intend to announce a full set of policies for an alternative government in the immediate term.
“There are going to be no rabbits pulled from hats all over the place this early on”, said one Shadow Cabinet insider. Mr Miliband wants the attack on the Government to concentrate on the alternative to the coalition’s economic policies, particularly the absence of any strategy for saving or creating jobs and growth.
He believes Labour must show they can be a responsible and effective opposition before the party will be taken seriously as a potential government again. Shadow Cabinet members will be encouraged to work away at “fracture lines” within the coalition and splits in the Liberal Democrats.
The coalition is to be attacked for delivering “old politics”, with a string of broken promises and “rash, ideological” economic policies and there will be a greater emphasis on the interests of younger people.
Mr Miliband is set to outline his thinking in a keynote speech to the annual Fabian Society conference on January 15 and is planning several further new appointments to his team. In addition to a complete policy review, Mr Miliband has called for an overhaul of the operation of party HQ and campaigning strategies.
According to private polling for the party, Labour is recovering strongly in its traditional areas of support and picking up significant defections from the Lib Dems. However, some Lib Dems have shifted to the Tories, whose support appears to be holding firm.
The first real test will come with the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election expected to take place as early mid-January and which Labour hopes to hold in spite of the circumstances in which former MP Phil Woolas left it.
