Lammy endorsement boosts Miliband campaign

David Lammy, prominent black MP and Chair of Ken Livingstone’s Mayoral nomination campaign, has given a significant boost to David Miliband’s fight for the Labour leadership today with his endorsement.

Writing in the New Statesman Lammy outlines why he’s backing the older of the two Miliband’s currently battling it out to be leader and what he thinks it means for the future of the party:

"After thirteen years in government we needed a proper post-mortem on why we lost, what we went wrong and where we go from here. I nominated Diane Abbott because I wanted that debate to have as many voices as possible. Three months on we have reached decision time. The question is which of the candidates can forge a credible and inspiring new project for the Left.

For me that question has been answered emphatically. It is David Miliband. He offers change in our party, understanding that Labour must become a movement again. Barack Obama was the first to grasp this, mobilising his volunteer force to help the victims of the Mid-west floods during his own campaign. David gets this too. Already he has trained 1,000 community organisers as part of his campaign. In time, they who will help communities speak with one voice about the things that matter to them."

The former Minister has placed himself at the heart of a unique endorsement web; he’s running the Livingstone campaign who in turn is backing Ed Balls for Labour leader. Only time will tell whether Lammy’s skillful positioning will pay political dividends…

By Leon Green