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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| 'There isn't a day when I don't think about the election' | 'There isn't a day when I don't think about the election' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Stewart Wood turns up looking pretty chillaxed, smiling broadly, on time. I've badgered him for months, if not years, to have lunch and he has finally given up ignoring me. | |
| Lord Wood was one of Ed Miliband's closest advisers. This is his first interview since Labour's crushing defeat earlier this year. | |
| "It's difficult, I think, it's difficult for me but it's also difficult for people in the Labour Party, because they look at someone like me and think, 'he was part of that bunch that lost'," he smiles and nods almost apologetically. | "It's difficult, I think, it's difficult for me but it's also difficult for people in the Labour Party, because they look at someone like me and think, 'he was part of that bunch that lost'," he smiles and nods almost apologetically. |
| "There isn't a day that passes when I don't think about the election, yeah, definitely… it's something I'm constantly sort of turning over in my mind, like what happened, what's the lessons you can learn, of course you think could we have done things differently." | "There isn't a day that passes when I don't think about the election, yeah, definitely… it's something I'm constantly sort of turning over in my mind, like what happened, what's the lessons you can learn, of course you think could we have done things differently." |
| He is refreshingly open, instantly engaging and self-deprecating. | He is refreshingly open, instantly engaging and self-deprecating. |
| His parents lean to the right, he rebelled and became a Christian in his teens. "I kind of read the bible and became enthralled by it", and veered to the left, he says. Wood went into academia, and in the mid-90s met Ed Miliband. They formed a fast bond which lasts to this day. It was Ed who suggested he work for Gordon Brown. | His parents lean to the right, he rebelled and became a Christian in his teens. "I kind of read the bible and became enthralled by it", and veered to the left, he says. Wood went into academia, and in the mid-90s met Ed Miliband. They formed a fast bond which lasts to this day. It was Ed who suggested he work for Gordon Brown. |
| Advisers do not make a habit of doing interviews, preferring to remain in the backrooms. "We are like courtiers around a king," he tells me. Over our first course and glasses of water, I ask him what life is like behind the scenes. | Advisers do not make a habit of doing interviews, preferring to remain in the backrooms. "We are like courtiers around a king," he tells me. Over our first course and glasses of water, I ask him what life is like behind the scenes. |
| "It's very, very funny at times", he says, "farcical". He tells me how they lost Gordon Brown in a hotel on one foreign visit, on another to Saudi Arabia he recalls the prime minster dining with the King in a room "the size of a football pitch", and a shark tank in the middle. "It felt like you were in some mid-sixties Bond movie." | "It's very, very funny at times", he says, "farcical". He tells me how they lost Gordon Brown in a hotel on one foreign visit, on another to Saudi Arabia he recalls the prime minster dining with the King in a room "the size of a football pitch", and a shark tank in the middle. "It felt like you were in some mid-sixties Bond movie." |
| When Gordon Brown resigned, Stewart Wood backed his old friend, Ed Miliband. "He had a more informal style, more approachable. He could be humble... he is a humble person," he says. | When Gordon Brown resigned, Stewart Wood backed his old friend, Ed Miliband. "He had a more informal style, more approachable. He could be humble... he is a humble person," he says. |
| The bad blood between the brothers hung like a nasty smell throughout Ed Miliband's leadership. | The bad blood between the brothers hung like a nasty smell throughout Ed Miliband's leadership. |
| "It was always there, it was always an issue… My view was that I think Ed was right to go for it, but of course it was personally incredibly complicated and it was very bruising, very bruising." | "It was always there, it was always an issue… My view was that I think Ed was right to go for it, but of course it was personally incredibly complicated and it was very bruising, very bruising." |
| I ask him whether in retrospect it was worth it. He pauses and says you will have to ask Ed that, then adds: "Of course it was worth it, of course it was worth it, because he had a go." | I ask him whether in retrospect it was worth it. He pauses and says you will have to ask Ed that, then adds: "Of course it was worth it, of course it was worth it, because he had a go." |
| Tough enough? | Tough enough? |
| We talk about the election campaign, some of the hiccups. Not mentioning the deficit in a speech for example. Wood's smile subsides. | We talk about the election campaign, some of the hiccups. Not mentioning the deficit in a speech for example. Wood's smile subsides. |
| "As Ed said himself it was a mistake. It's very difficult when one of the political issues that you are dealing with is yourself. He recognised that, it was not something you felt you couldn't raise with him." | "As Ed said himself it was a mistake. It's very difficult when one of the political issues that you are dealing with is yourself. He recognised that, it was not something you felt you couldn't raise with him." |
| I ask him what was the high point for Ed during the general election campaign and he cites an interview with Jeremy Paxman during one of the live TV debates. "He did incredibly well in that," he says. | I ask him what was the high point for Ed during the general election campaign and he cites an interview with Jeremy Paxman during one of the live TV debates. "He did incredibly well in that," he says. |
| Jeremy Paxman had said that people did not think Mr Miliband was tough enough. The reply that came back was unscripted: "Am I tough enough, hell yes I'm tough enough." | Jeremy Paxman had said that people did not think Mr Miliband was tough enough. The reply that came back was unscripted: "Am I tough enough, hell yes I'm tough enough." |
| "Would you have scripted it?" I ask Lord Wood. "No", he replies, "it's one of things that you would have feared would become like the lime stone, the 'Ed stone', became". | "Would you have scripted it?" I ask Lord Wood. "No", he replies, "it's one of things that you would have feared would become like the lime stone, the 'Ed stone', became". |
| In case you do not remember, Labour engraved its pledges on a large stone slab which was unveiled by Ed Miliband. The idea was to plant it in the Downing Street garden if he was triumphant. It was widely ridiculed. | In case you do not remember, Labour engraved its pledges on a large stone slab which was unveiled by Ed Miliband. The idea was to plant it in the Downing Street garden if he was triumphant. It was widely ridiculed. |
| The exit poll | The exit poll |
| "I think, look, a lot of us, probably all, everyone on that team probably, had reservations and just felt, there's a sort of engine room of stuff that campaigns produce, you don't always get it right in terms of filtering out things that cause you problems. I understand looking at it, it looks quite comical now. Of course I recognise that, yeah." | "I think, look, a lot of us, probably all, everyone on that team probably, had reservations and just felt, there's a sort of engine room of stuff that campaigns produce, you don't always get it right in terms of filtering out things that cause you problems. I understand looking at it, it looks quite comical now. Of course I recognise that, yeah." |
| "What happened to it?" I ask. "I honestly don't know, my curiosity about it is rather small," he tells me. "You haven't got any at home?" He starts to laugh. "No I haven't got any of it at home." | "What happened to it?" I ask. "I honestly don't know, my curiosity about it is rather small," he tells me. "You haven't got any at home?" He starts to laugh. "No I haven't got any of it at home." |
| Wood spent election day itself with Ed Miliband at his home in Doncaster. It was a difficult day, he reflects. | Wood spent election day itself with Ed Miliband at his home in Doncaster. It was a difficult day, he reflects. |
| "Of course he had to prepare for, you know... at the time, Ed's view was there would be a hung Parliament and there would be a very serious chance he would be the next prime minister, maybe not straight away but after a few days. He was confident in himself and what he'd achieved." | "Of course he had to prepare for, you know... at the time, Ed's view was there would be a hung Parliament and there would be a very serious chance he would be the next prime minister, maybe not straight away but after a few days. He was confident in himself and what he'd achieved." |
| I asked him if he, too, was confident. He pauses slightly, before telling me: "I don't know how it would have worked out." He thought there would be a hung parliament but the Tories would be ahead. | I asked him if he, too, was confident. He pauses slightly, before telling me: "I don't know how it would have worked out." He thought there would be a hung parliament but the Tories would be ahead. |
| Up until 7 May 2015, the polls had indicated a hung parliament. Few had predicted the eventual result. At 22:00 BST that evening everyone in the Miliband house, including Wood, was watching the television waiting for the exit poll; it indicated that the previous polls had been wrong. Completely wrong. | Up until 7 May 2015, the polls had indicated a hung parliament. Few had predicted the eventual result. At 22:00 BST that evening everyone in the Miliband house, including Wood, was watching the television waiting for the exit poll; it indicated that the previous polls had been wrong. Completely wrong. |
| "Well what can I say?" he is still, unsmiling. "It's a kind of stunning moment when that happens." The phones started ringing and Ed Miliband decided that publicly they should say it was early days, and question the accuracy of the poll. In the early hours of the morning it became clear that Labour had lost. | "Well what can I say?" he is still, unsmiling. "It's a kind of stunning moment when that happens." The phones started ringing and Ed Miliband decided that publicly they should say it was early days, and question the accuracy of the poll. In the early hours of the morning it became clear that Labour had lost. |
| "In a way, there's two different Ed's that night: there's Ed who's the leader of the party and also there's my friend who was hurting very badly, and sometimes the two conflict and you don't know which hat to wear." | "In a way, there's two different Ed's that night: there's Ed who's the leader of the party and also there's my friend who was hurting very badly, and sometimes the two conflict and you don't know which hat to wear." |
| Wood blames himself for the defeat. When I ask him what he is going to do next he answers, "male modelling". It is a joke - he is writing. | Wood blames himself for the defeat. When I ask him what he is going to do next he answers, "male modelling". It is a joke - he is writing. |
| He stayed away from his party's conference this week and although he did not vote for Jeremy Corbyn he supports him. | He stayed away from his party's conference this week and although he did not vote for Jeremy Corbyn he supports him. |
| "I think he's got to make a case for his policies, rather than just say 'This is what I believe, do you support me?'. It's never been more important to be a persuader because his views are quite different from a lot of the party let alone the public." | "I think he's got to make a case for his policies, rather than just say 'This is what I believe, do you support me?'. It's never been more important to be a persuader because his views are quite different from a lot of the party let alone the public." |