Bishop commends David Miliband for mature decision to let Ed lead

The Bishop of Croydon has called the decision of David Miliband to quit frontbench politics this week “mature”.

In a comment posted to his blog, the Rt Rev Nick Baines dismissed critics who contend that David Miliband, a leader in waiting for many years, withdrew because he was put out at losing the top job to his younger brother Ed Miliband in last Saturday’s leadership election.

Explaining his decision, David Miliband said that staying in the shadow cabinet would have been a “route to real difficulty” and that the cabinet would have been subject to the “permanent scrutiny of body language – everything from sneezes to comments”.

“Ed needs an open field to lead as he sees fit,” he said in an interview with Sky News.

Bishop Baines said his comments pointed to a “mature and personally costly” decision made in the interests of Ed Miliband and the Labour Party.

He hit out at the British media for focusing its attention on conflict between the brothers. He said it was “worrying” that the “conflict metaphor” would be the only one the media chose to use.

“An able politician feels he cannot continue because the media would focus their attention on the potent yet probably spurious drama of his relationship with his brother – another Brown-Blair drama," the bishop said.

“So, we lose an experienced politician because of – among other things, of course – how the media will inevitably handle his presence in the Shadow Cabinet. The country loses substance for fear of press obsession with its own story constructs.”

Ed Miliband called his brother’s decision “thoughtful and gracious” although he said he thought the shadow cabinet would have been stronger with David Miliband in it.

He said the “paradox” of the contest had been his delight at becoming Labour leader and his disappointment for David.

"He is a massive talent for our party, and indeed for our country, I'm not going to hide that fact," he said.

"We would have been a stronger team with him in it.

"But I think that he is right to have made the decision that he has, it is the right decision for him.”