{"id":4509,"date":"2026-09-26T10:01:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T10:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/26\/the-house-article-ed-miliband-andy-has-given-us-the-permission-to-be-heard-again\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T10:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T10:01:32","slug":"the-house-article-ed-miliband-andy-has-given-us-the-permission-to-be-heard-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/26\/the-house-article-ed-miliband-andy-has-given-us-the-permission-to-be-heard-again\/","title":{"rendered":"The House Article | Ed Miliband: \u201cAndy Has Given Us The Permission To Be Heard Again\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ed Miliband (Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n 14 min read<\/span>2 hr<\/span>
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Ed Miliband has landed a Great Office of State \u2013 not as Chancellor but as the new Foreign Secretary. He talks to Sienna Rodgers about why Keir Starmer had to go, how Andy Burnham is resetting the culture in government and his approach of \u2018resilient idealism\u2019 to the new job<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Foreign Secretary wants you to know that he really loves his new job. Nobody expected Ed Miliband to land here: the chancellorship was what he wanted, and if he couldn\u2019t secure No 11, it was rumoured he could be headed to the Department for Business. Before Andy Burnham\u2019s ascent became inevitable, he was even thought to have half an eye on 10 Downing Street itself.<\/p>\n

Alas for Miliband, Burnham chose the \u2018safe\u2019 option of John Healey \u2013 but the new Foreign Secretary seeks to radiate contentment. \u201cI think you can probably tell, I really love this job,\u201d he tells The House, dialling in from New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly before Labour conference.<\/p>\n

He says he is, in particular, delighted to be working once again with his old boss Gordon Brown, who has a government role in global finance and is helping to prepare for the UK\u2019s presidency of the G20 next year. That, and he is seizing the opportunity to apply traditional Labour principles to foreign affairs at a time of huge global instability.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes foreign policy can be thought of in a very technocratic way. This is about putting our Labour values, our progressive values, into practice internationally. That\u2019s the way I see the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Labour suffered its disastrous result in the 2019 election, a group of politicians and others got together to review what had happened and put recommendations to the party. The commissioners \u2013 including Miliband, as well as Shabana Mahmood and Lucy Powell, both now in Cabinet \u2013 concluded that the party needed a \u2018big change\u2019 offer on the economy combined with a neutralising approach to social issues.<\/p>\n

There was an assumption when Sir Keir Starmer became leader that these findings would be influential, considering the outfit organising the exercise \u2013 Labour Together, then called \u2013 had been headed by Morgan McSweeney, who choreographed his rise. But this was not to be.<\/p>\n

Instead of that clear narrative of bold action came the \u2018Ming vase\u2019 approach; and while Labour did win a landslide in 2024, Miliband was among those who wanted a more obviously political agenda communicated.<\/p>\n

For Starmer, there may be a bitter irony in the fact that it was Miliband, among those who encouraged him to leave a successful legal career for politics in 2015, who was then at the head of efforts to persuade him to leave a decade later.<\/p>\n

The then energy secretary does not demure at the claim that he was the first Cabinet minister to advise Starmer that the jig was up.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I\u2019m not going to get into my private advice to Keir,\u201d Miliband says, before effectively confirming his role. \u201cI was concerned about where the party was and what it meant for our ability to transform the country, and I felt that a change was necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do feel that Andy, who I think is doing brilliantly, has given us the permission to be heard again, and I think we were losing the permission to be heard, frankly. I say this with deep regret because Keir is a friend of mine, an incredibly decent person. I think he handled his departure incredibly honourably. But I do think what\u2019s happened since has shown why we were right to make the change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new Prime Minister, Miliband enthuses, is determined \u201cto be bold in his political project\u201d and \u201chas both an analysis of what is wrong with Britain and how to put it right\u201d. Perhaps most importantly, \u201che\u2019s shown an ability to articulate that narrative\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, this is not to say that Keir didn\u2019t have a huge number of achievements to his name,\u201d Miliband adds, polite but damning. \u201cI think the party will always be grateful for the extraordinary job he did between 2019 and 2024 in rescuing the party, in winning the general election. What he did and what he oversaw in the first two years, including his advocacy on climate and my issues, is something I will always be grateful to him for. It\u2019s really important not to diminish his achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Foreign Secretary predicts that \u201chistory will look kindly\u201d on Starmer. This would be handy, for the former PM has apparently told friends that he would like to reach the top of foreign affairs just as he did in the British legal and political arenas. If he achieves as much, could that be awkward for Miliband in his new role?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d he replies at once, going on to praise Starmer\u2019s stance on Ukraine. \u201cI would really welcome Keir playing a role in the future on the international stage. I think he has a brilliant ability to do that. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen the last of Keir Starmer in public service.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ed Miliband (Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer)<\/figcaption>
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And yet evidently Miliband believes something had gone quite badly wrong in Starmer\u2019s government \u2013 not only in terms of its inability to cut through to voters but also internally. Asked whether there has been a cultural reset under Burnham, he says \u201cyes\u201d without hesitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to get the culture right. It\u2019s something he and I talked about a lot in advance of him becoming Prime Minister, it\u2019s something I talk to James a lot about,\u201d he continues, referring to No 10 chief of staff James Purnell with whom he worked in government as a fellow minister last time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, one of the things that I\u2019ve learnt in politics is how important culture is. Maybe it\u2019s bloody obvious, but the way you work and operate \u2013 it\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do in the FCDO.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Foreign Office has been through a difficult period of late, with the merger, a culling of jobs and the controversial sacking of Sir Olly Robbins as permanent secretary. Staff morale has been low, which the Foreign Secretary acknowledges \u2013 \u201cThat\u2019s a fair point\u201d \u2013 and expresses a determination to turn around.<\/p>\n

Does he find Burnham to be a people pleaser? The PM is often accused of it. \u201cWhat does that mean, being a people pleaser?\u201d Miliband asks. That he finds it difficult to say no; that he agrees to things in the moment that he will later be forced to renege on because they were not wise. \u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Miliband finds interesting about Burnham is this: \u201cHe\u2019s somebody who\u2019s learnt a lot about himself; about the way he succeeds as a politician. I think the thing he\u2019s learnt above all is to follow his own political instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n

It sounds remarkably similar to his own journey, from embattled Labour leader to confident Cabinet minister who admirers and haters alike agree has been one of the most effective at bending the Whitehall machine to their will.<\/p>\n

So, the pair have learnt the same lesson in recent years?<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, exactly,\u201d he agrees. \u201cOne lesson Andy learnt is, don\u2019t follow the advice of everyone else \u2013 follow your own instincts. It\u2019s so true in politics. You\u2019re much better off doing the thing you believe in, and then if you make a mistake, if it goes wrong \u2013 which, things will go wrong \u2013 you haven\u2019t done something that someone else persuaded you to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very clear about what he believes. He\u2019s very clear about his political project. This is the fundamental thing, which is what the British people want: somebody who says, \u2018Look, this is where I\u2019m taking the country, and this is what I believe.\u2019 I think that is what Andy is doing, and that\u2019s why people are responding.\u201d<\/p>\n

There has been confusion, however, on the question of whether this is a government of continuity (Healey\u2019s message) or change (Burnham\u2019s). One is aimed at the markets; the other at the country. Which is true?<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously there\u2019s elements of continuity, but I think of it as a turning of the page,\u201d Miliband says. \u201cIt\u2019s consistent with the manifesto because the manifesto was a manifesto for change. But I think it\u2019s a change in approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think there\u2019s a rather homogeneous view of the Jewish community in the media, and the Jewish community does not speak with one voice\u201d<\/p>\n

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Not for the first time, Ed Miliband now has a job that his brother David was tipped for. He ignores a question on whether David Lammy has put him in touch with JD Vance, preferring to talk about his \u201cexcellent\u201d meetings with Marco Rubio, but happily reveals that he and his older brother \u2013 foreign secretary himself from 2007 to 2010 \u2013 have discussed his new role.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve obviously talked about the job. His advice is to follow your instincts and do what you think is right,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in politics a long time. I feel an incredible privilege to be doing this job. I genuinely do. I\u2019m thinking about this for my conference speech: if you\u2019d said to my parents, both refugees, that not one but both of their kids would be the Foreign Secretary of Britain, they\u2019d have thought that was just ridiculous. I mean, just, no way!\u201d<\/p>\n

As Labour leader, Miliband accused the Daily Mail of overstepping the mark when it called his late father, a Marxist academic, \u201cthe man who hated Britain\u201d. Today, he is keen to share how much his parents are shaping his approach to foreign policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot about what they thought about Britain, which is they thought it was a sanctuary for them, but it was also about what Britain stood for \u2013 the rule of law, international solidarity, the foundation of the United Nations, all of those things,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a believer in Britain\u2019s positive influence in the world. It\u2019s right for us. Some people say, \u2018You can either pursue your values or pursue your interests.\u2019 Us pursuing our values is in our interest because a stable world, a world where a rule of law is followed, is also a world that is a foundation for peace and prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miliband will want to see the UK\u2019s 0.7 per cent target for official development assistance restored at the soonest possible date, but he toes the party line when asked. While it is \u201creally important\u201d \u2013 including for climate resilience, and he wants to make climate \u201ca national security issue for the first time\u201d \u2013 he concedes, \u201cI\u2019m not going to second-guess decisions that John makes\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Ed Miliband (Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer)<\/figcaption>
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Healey is under intense pressure to make the numbers add up at the upcoming Budget, while giving himself enough headroom and honouring Burnham\u2019s early promises \u2013 all within the existing fiscal rules. Burnham may be better at \u201carticulating the narrative\u201d than his predecessor but his government is no less in hock to the bond markets than the last.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Burnham\u2019s boosterism, this also comes at a time when an unpredictable US is forcing Britain to reassess its security. The fragmentation of western alliances comes as adversaries draw closer together and while threats are intensifying and the technological sophistication of modern warfare is advancing quickly.<\/p>\n

Even as our control of the Falklands is called into question by Argentina\u2019s Javier Milei, President Donald Trump hinted he would not come to the UK\u2019s aid, while Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s son seized the opportunity to undermine Britain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is non-negotiable,\u201d Miliband says of the Falklands, repeating: \u201cThis is non-negotiable. The Falkland Islands have made absolutely clear that they want to remain British. We are going to uphold their right of self-determination. Our commitment to the Falklands of remaining British is absolutely unwavering, and my message could not be clearer.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, across most of the Labour Party, it is not seen as optional that the Chancellor both funds the Defence Investment Plan and increases defence spending to three per cent of GDP in the next parliament and to 3.5 by 2035.<\/p>\n

Miliband may privately see the world in terms of petrostates and electrostates, with Trump resistant to net-zero on this basis, but such tensions must remain unspoken. Britain, too reliant on the US to do a Mark Carney, is strengthening its relationships with other middle powers \u2013 but quietly.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the biggest move he has made so far in his short time as Foreign Secretary, issuing sanctions on Israeli settlements, Miliband is particularly proud of his and Burnham\u2019s ability to surprise people with the announcement that France and Canada among others were acting in parallel.<\/p>\n

But since he unveiled the import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories, some have expressed concern that it would affect sensitive areas such as the Jewish quarter in Old Jerusalem. Does he believe that part of the plan is sensible?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our plan is the right plan. We\u2019ve said that there is going to be a narrow group of religious exemptions, and that\u2019s something we\u2019ll have a dialogue with the Jewish community about,\u201d he says, confirming that its application is not yet fully decided and will have to be worked out before implementation in six to nine months.<\/p>\n

In the Commons, Miliband appeared embarrassed that the government hadn\u2019t done more before now. Britain \u201cshould have acted earlier\u201d, he told MPs. So, why was the government so inhibited? Was it down to Labour\u2019s recent history with antisemitism?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, really,\u201d Miliband says. He would like to talk instead about why he is proud of the action that has now been taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very influenced by my mum. She passed away at the end of May. She had this very traumatic childhood as a Jewish refugee in hiding during the Second World War; lost her father. But before she got ill, in the 20 years after my dad died in 1994, she became a massive campaigner on these issues. I thought a lot about what she would have thought, and I think it is interesting \u2013 her background and her empathy with the suffering of the Palestinians.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she died, somebody wrote to me and said she was a \u2018resilient idealist\u2019, and I\u2019ve rather got to like this phrase. I think resilient idealism is maybe partly what I\u2019m trying to practice in this role, which is: the world is a complex place, but I still believe in changing it for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following an interview on Radio 4\u2019s Today programme, the BBC received complaints that Justin Webb had asked Miliband if he would be attending synagogue \u2013 the implication being that he wasn\u2019t Jewish enough. Was he hurt by the line of questioning?<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was slightly unfortunate, really. But I think Justin Webb is a decent guy. I don\u2019t think he intended it that way,\u201d Miliband replies.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what do I really think about this? I think there\u2019s a rather homogeneous view of the Jewish community in the media, and the Jewish community does not speak with one voice. The Jewish community has a whole range of views on these questions,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bow to nobody in my determination to tackle antisemitism, to ensure that Jews feel safe in Britain, and it\u2019s incredibly important. That\u2019s why I went out of my way in my statement to recognise what many Jews in Britain feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there is no inconsistency between being the most vehement opponent of antisemitism in any form and being deeply, deeply supportive and empathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in a way, I felt like it was important for my statement to be \u2013 if I can put it this way \u2013 a teachable moment about some of these issues, because we need to explain these questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

As much as Westminster was surprised by Miliband\u2019s new brief, now that the shock has worn off, the former Labour leader seems genuinely excited by the opportunity to apply his own intensely political approach to it.<\/p>\n

He has spent much of his career being told to stay in the confines of what is realistic, but Miliband says he \u2013 like Burnham \u2013 has learnt to tune out those advising him to override his instincts. Rejecting the technocratic style so familiar to us all over the last two years, he instead casts himself as the \u2018resilient idealist\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Ed Miliband (Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer) 14 min read2 hr Ed Miliband has landed a Great Office of State \u2013 not as Chancellor but as the new Foreign Secretary. He talks to Sienna Rodgers about why Keir Starmer had to go, how Andy Burnham is resetting the culture in government and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}