Miliband’s challenge to his party

David Miliband has issued a rallying cry to Labour which some analysts see as an attempt to position himself to challenge Gordon Brown for the leadership. The foreign secretary fails to explicitly back Mr Brown in the article in today's Guardian newspaper written while the PM enjoys his summer holiday.

Mr Miliband calls on his colleagues to "stop feeling sorry for ourselves", and says Labour must enter a "radical new phase" to win the next election. He calls for Labour to be "more humble", and adds: "The odds are against us, no question. But I still believe we can win the next election."

Yesterday, Labour's deputy leader, Harriet Harman, issued a statement denying reports she intended to challenge Gordon Brown. She said: "I am not preparing the ground for a leadership election. I was bitterly disappointed by the Glasgow East by-election result."