Few are fooled as Miliband pays homage to an ‘inspirational’ PM

David Miliband’s speech to the Labour party conference yesterday was as much about the picture that followed it as the words it contained. As the Foreign Secretary accepted the respectful - but far from ecstatic - applause of the Labour faithful, a beaming Gordon Brown congratulated him for the benefit of the ranks of TV crews and photographers.

However, within hours the BBC was reporting that the Foreign Secretary had been overheard telling aides afterwards that he had toned down his speech to avoid it being seen as "a Heseltine moment", in reference to Michael Heseltine's challenges to Margaret Thatcher in 1990.

According to the BBC, the incident occurred when Miliband was discussing with his staff how the speech had gone down and was told it was being given six marks out of 10. Miliband was heard to reply: "I couldn't have gone any further. It would have been a Heseltine moment."

One aide replied: "No, you are right. You went as far as you could. That was what the party needed to hear."

Miliband had used his speech to say the party should take "inspiration" from the Prime Minister’s leadership on combating Third World poverty. He talked of the crucial role Brown had played in striking a deal to end the use of deadly cluster munitions. "Those talks were deadlocked,” he said. "And the deadlock was broken by one man - our Prime Minister Gordon Brown. That is the sort of difference he makes in the world."

At one stage, Miliband turned to the PM and said: "Gordon, it's not just the policy. It's no exaggeration to say you have transformed the political debate about international development in this country over the last 11 years and we should take inspiration from you."

The message that party organisers wanted to send out was that Brown and his successor-in-waiting are as one in their desire to get Labour back on track and united in their determination to defeat the Tories.

The Foreign Secretary's speech - in which he strained with little success for Tony Blair-style oratorical flourishes - probably did the trick. Or as one Minister put it afterwards: "Miliband was completely on message."

Up to a point. His speech was all about continuing the work of government, not resting on your laurels and proving wrong the pessimists who believe Labour is heading for electoral catastrophe.

He was looking forwards, not backwards. And no one in the hall was fooled that Miliband is not desperately looking forward to securing the top job when the time comes - as the BBC report of the 'Heseltine moment' pretty much confirms.

THE MOLE: LABOUR CONFERENCE

FIRST POSTED SEPTEMBER 23, 2008