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"People have to vote for me for who I am, rather than who I'm not": The Ed Balls interview

Ed Balls is the shadow schools secretary and a candidate in the Labour leadership election. He met Mark Ferguson on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010. You wrote an article for LabourList this week on your housing plan, although some of your other comments in the article have had more attention. You've identified building 100,000 new homes as a means of stimulating the economy. Do you think that's the best use of £6 billion? On your first point, it's important to challenge...
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An economic and political death match?

The Labour movement column By Anthony Painter History never repeats itself; at best it sometimes rhymes. So said Mark Twain and in immediate defiance of this dictum, the quote has been repeated over and over. So one more time is neither here nor there. It is not too extravagant a guess to suppose that this sentiment is applicable to economic history. And there are two predominant versions of economic history out there in the political market place. One is articulated...
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Ed Balls on the leadership 'soap opera'

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Ed Balls is right about the Miliband soap opera

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Writing for LabourList last night, Ed Balls used a phrase that may well be taken on by others as we head into the final stages of the leadership contest - "Miliband soap opera". From the outset of this campaign, the media have shown a dogged determination to make this race about the two brothers, putting them at its centre, pivoting the rest of the race (and the other candidates) around the fraternal battle - and...
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Balls slams Miliband 'soap opera': 8 in the morning: August 31st

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk * Writing for LabourList, Ed Balls attacked the "Miliband soap opera" and laid out his housing plans. * Polly Toynbee rails at "vain, venal has-beens", and their interbentions in the leadership contest... * Steve Richards says it's time to move on from New Labour. * David Miliband is said to be irked by Peter Mandelson's intervention in the leadership race. * The old guard meanwhile have hit back at Mandelson. * Mary Riddell says the...
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An alternative plan on housing

By Ed Balls MP / @edballsmp As Labour Party members prepare to decide our next leader, too many questions remain unanswered. The now daily episodes of the Miliband soap opera suit those who want to keep this a two-horse race, but do not do justice to the issues at stake in this election. It is wearily familiar of the general election campaign when serious questions went unasked or unanswered as the media obsession with personalities dominated all discussion. As we...
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Yoosk hustings: Ed Balls

Yoosk have been collating questions for the leadership candidates over the past few weeks. Ed Balls is the fourth candidate to face the Yoosk team, and answers questions on his biggest weakness, his popularity (or otherwise), and university places....
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Why I'm backing Ed Balls for leader

By Kerry McCarthy MP / @KerryMP This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about my support for Ed Balls for Labour leader. I’ve already explained on my own blog and in a piece for the New Statesman, why I think he has the fighting spirit to take us through the next few painful years in opposition (painful for us, and for the country) as well as the leadership qualities to one day make a great Labour Prime Minister. Backing Ed...
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Ed Balls answers questions from LCID

Ed Balls is the second of the leadership candidates to answer questions from the Labour Campaign for International Development (LCID). You can find out more about LCID, and sign up for their email updates on their website....
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Balls £100k leadership windfall: 8 in the morning, August 13th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk * Ed Balls has received the single largest donation of the campaign so far as fundraising totals are revealed. * Meanwhile Andy Burnham picked up £10k from Liverpool and England player Jamie Carragher. * Boundary changes would hit Lib Dems hardest, says Newsnight research. * Sir Alan Budd defends his record as he quits the Office of Budget Responsibility. * Can Iraq secure their borders without US help? Confusion reigns... * David Cameron seeks to...
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The race in review: Ed Balls

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Ed Balls has had a great leadership campaign. He's been furious in his condemnation of the coalition government, has run eye catching campaigns, and has shown himself to be a more than able parliamentary performer. His team, which seems to be smaller than many of his rivals, is nonetheless nimble and quick enough to launch campaigns at short notice whenever they present themselves. Few will have missed the way that Balls excelled at tearing apart...
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Why I'm backing Ed Balls for leader

By John Robertson MP One of the best bits of news post election, which has raised the spirits of me and my colleagues, has been the news that we have had a surge of thousands of new members in the first couple of weeks after the election. I too joined the party at a time when we suffered a bitter defeat at the polls and understand the urge to fight back at regressive forces that inspires our new members. So...
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The case against...Ed Balls

By Hopi Sen / @hopisen A brief series where, for my own amusement (and possibly ensuring I never work for the Labour Party again), I set out the case against each of the Leadership candidates. The eleventh commandment of internal elections is “Never speak ill of a fellow party member”. It gets broken just as regularly as the other ten, but I shall try to be constructive, not merely critical. Here’s an odd thing. When I ask Labour members who...
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Ed Balls interviewed by Polly Toynbee

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Ed Balls will fight on

By Mark Ferguson / @MarkFergusonUK In an email to supporters today, Ed Balls has denied claims in the Telegraph and elsewhere that he is quitting the race to become Labour's next leader. Rumours had circulated that Balls was ready to leave the contest after Unite backed Ed Miliband yesterday, perhaps to back David Miliband. But Balls is unequivocal in his email: "Given the claim that I am considering quitting the leadership contest and backing one of the other candidates, I...
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Balls tackles quit rumours head on

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Ed Balls has this afternoon sought to dispel rumours that he is dropping out of the leadership race, by tackling the whsipers head on in a three pronged attack. Writing on his blog, in a post called "Why I'm fighting on", Ed said: "I’ve never been a front runner in this campaign, I did not have the early organisation of some other candidates and I am behind on formal CLP and union endorsements. But the...
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Men must champion these issues, not just women

By Ed Balls MP / @edballsmp Equality for women is at the heart of everything Labour stands for. We championed it when we were in government and we should be proud of the success we achieved in areas from increased maternity leave to boosting women's pensions. But women in Britain now face the greatest threat to their independence and opportunities for many decades, as the new government's policies threaten to turn back the clock to the eighties or even the...
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Balls: Gove telling children "you aren't worth it"

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Ed Balls has really come into his own in recent weeks as he attacks Michael Gove over Building Schools for the Future (BSF) - but today he ratcheted the pressure up a notch - accusing Gove of saying "you're not worth it" to thousands of children. Speaking to the Today programme, Balls said: "I'm afraid Michael Gove today is saying to hundreds and hundreds of thousands of children around the country, 'I'm sorry, you aren't...
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CWU backs Ed Balls

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Update: Ed Balls has responded to news of the CWU nomination, saying: "I’m honoured to have received the CWU’s nomination following this week’s hustings and the recommendation they will make to their members in the one member one vote ballot in September." "I want to strengthen Labour’s link with the trade unions – not just nationally, but on the ground in every constituency and union branch. That is the best way for Labour to stay...
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Ed Balls to appear on "How to Look Good Naked"

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk I've just had confirmation from the Ed Balls campaign that their candidate will be appearing on the hit TV show "How to Look Good Naked". But don't worry - this isn't the start of a parade of leadership candidates appearing on the show like "This Week", and host Gok Wan won't be asking him about him sartorial choices. And to the best of our knowledge Ed won't be appearing clad in any fewer clothes than...
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