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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Ed Miliband seeks to change shadow cabinet selection | Ed Miliband seeks to change shadow cabinet selection |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Ed Miliband is seeking to change his party's rules so that he can choose who he wants to sit in the shadow cabinet. | Ed Miliband is seeking to change his party's rules so that he can choose who he wants to sit in the shadow cabinet. |
| The Labour leader has decided his party's MPs should lose the right they currently have to elect the party's top team every two years. | The Labour leader has decided his party's MPs should lose the right they currently have to elect the party's top team every two years. |
| Aides said that, in the past, shadow cabinet elections had distracted Labour from holding the government to account and preparing the party for power. | Aides said that, in the past, shadow cabinet elections had distracted Labour from holding the government to account and preparing the party for power. |
| The change would have to be approved by Labour's party conference this autumn. | The change would have to be approved by Labour's party conference this autumn. |
| Labour MPs will have the chance to debate and vote on the rule change before it is considered by the party's ruling national executive committee next month and then put to the party conference in Liverpool. | Labour MPs will have the chance to debate and vote on the rule change before it is considered by the party's ruling national executive committee next month and then put to the party conference in Liverpool. |
| The BBC's deputy political editor James Landale said that if approved it would mark a substantial increase in Mr Miliband's power of patronage over his party. | |
| It may not quite be a clause four moment - but for Ed Miliband the planned change to the shadow cabinet rules is a key moment. | It may not quite be a clause four moment - but for Ed Miliband the planned change to the shadow cabinet rules is a key moment. |
| The aim is to bolster Mr Miliband's leadership but it carries with it huge risks that could have precisely the opposite result. | The aim is to bolster Mr Miliband's leadership but it carries with it huge risks that could have precisely the opposite result. |
| The most obvious danger is that the parliamentary party or the Labour conference simply refuse to endorse the changes. Such an outcome would be a devastating and humiliating public blow to Mr Miliband and his authority. | The most obvious danger is that the parliamentary party or the Labour conference simply refuse to endorse the changes. Such an outcome would be a devastating and humiliating public blow to Mr Miliband and his authority. |
| The second risk is that Mr Miliband fails to use the moment to shake up his frontbench team and weed out his critics. | |
| To many that would look like a missed opportunity, which would risk antagonising his party without bolstering his leadership. | To many that would look like a missed opportunity, which would risk antagonising his party without bolstering his leadership. |
| 'Sensible change' | 'Sensible change' |
| Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the internal election process was a distraction from the "important task of taking the government to account and understanding why we lost the last election". | |
| Mr Alexander denied that Mr Miliband was proposing the changes in order to rid himself of critics in his shadow cabinet. "There will continue to be mechanisms of accountability," he said. | Mr Alexander denied that Mr Miliband was proposing the changes in order to rid himself of critics in his shadow cabinet. "There will continue to be mechanisms of accountability," he said. |
| "Leadership involves taking decisions that you judge are in the best interests of the party," he said. "I think it's a sensible change that shows that Ed Miliband is serious about engaging with the public." | "Leadership involves taking decisions that you judge are in the best interests of the party," he said. "I think it's a sensible change that shows that Ed Miliband is serious about engaging with the public." |
| But left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell said he was disappointed by Mr Miliband's proposal. | But left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell said he was disappointed by Mr Miliband's proposal. |
| "You don't demonstrate strong leadership by having a battle with your own party," he told the programme. "You don't need to browbeat your party into submission." | "You don't demonstrate strong leadership by having a battle with your own party," he told the programme. "You don't need to browbeat your party into submission." |
| Mr McDonnell said the whole Labour party was "willing Ed Miliband to be a success" and MPs would not want to inflict a defeat on their leader. | Mr McDonnell said the whole Labour party was "willing Ed Miliband to be a success" and MPs would not want to inflict a defeat on their leader. |
| But he said the party's rank and file wanted more democracy. "They don't want to go back to the old days of Blair." | But he said the party's rank and file wanted more democracy. "They don't want to go back to the old days of Blair." |
| Election history | Election history |
| Shortly before Ed Miliband became leader, the Parliamentary Labour Party rejected proposals to change the shadow cabinet process which would have enabled the leader to choose half or a third of their team. | |
| It also rejected proposals from the party's deputy leader, Harriet Harman, to make the shadow cabinet at least 50% women - instead settling for 31.5%. | |
| In an interview with the Times on Friday, Ms Harman argues that a woman should always occupy one of the two most senior positions in the party. | |
| She has submitted the proposal to a review of the party, headed by Peter Hain, and told the Times it would be a "historic change". | |
| "Since 1906, we have had a leadership team of a leader and deputy," she said. | |
| "For 99 of those years we have had a men-only leadership team. Without this rule change the likelihood is that we would slip back to a men-only leadership." | |
| Last October, Labour held its first shadow cabinet elections since 1996 - with the shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper topping the poll. | Last October, Labour held its first shadow cabinet elections since 1996 - with the shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper topping the poll. |
| Mr Miliband then allocated jobs to the 19 MPs who got the most votes. | Mr Miliband then allocated jobs to the 19 MPs who got the most votes. |
| However, a number of leading figures in the party - most notably former foreign secretary David Miliband, who was narrowly beaten to the party leadership by his brother - chose not to enter the ballot and to remain on the back benches. | |
| Frontbench elections have been held while Labour are in opposition for more than 50 years. | Frontbench elections have been held while Labour are in opposition for more than 50 years. |
| Nearly all of the MPs elected in 1996 went on to hold cabinet positions in Tony Blair's government a year later. |