Labour’s legacy

The belated break from the past began with the Shadow Chancellor’s statement that he would not reverse the freeze on the pay of public sector workers, clear recognition that Mr Balls now recognises the parlous state of the Treasury’s finances.

It continued with his deputy, Ms Reeves, using a candid interview to suggest that Labour was not yet ready to be entrusted with power again. And it ended with Mr Twigg agreeing with more than half of the Government’s cuts to school building programmes and admitting Labour did not always get “value for money” in education.

However this realism does not appear to be shared by Mr Miliband, the party leader whose latest television interview left voters none the wiser about his strategy.

The Doncaster MP is unlikely to win over sceptics when he is criticising many of the Government’s cuts at a time when his shadow ministers have openly acknowledged their necessity in areas such as education and defence.

This criticism is countered by Mr Miliband who says he is winning “the battle of ideas” with David Cameron. That may be so, but it brings another criticism into play. The Labour leader may have coined the phrase “crony capitalism” – but it is the Prime Minister who is now leading on the issue while Mr Miliband lamely accuses the Government of not doing enough.

As his leadership enters, potentially, a “make or break” phrase, Mr Miliband must follow the lead set by his lieutenants. They know that Labour must change because elections are won from the centre. And he must now do likewise.