Who is Ed Miliband? Former Labour leader on bad memories and Labour election hopes

Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, admitted that he felt PTSD while watching the recent debates ahead of next month’s UK general election.

The 54-year-old Londoner, who represented Doncaster North until Parliament’s dissolution in May, admitted that watching the debates reminded him of his own past experiences in the hot seat.

“The PTSD for me is much worse in anticipation of the [television] debate. It’s almost as if I’m doing [it],” he recently told The i.

Miliband is currently canvassing for re-election in Doncaster North, where he is one of nine candidates vying for voters' support next month.

He’s up against Lib Dem’s Jonathan Harston, Green’s Tony Nicholson, Conservative and Unionist’s Glenn Karl Bluff, and several other smaller party representatives.

His party seems hopeful about its chances of winning a majority in July, which would mean Sir Keir Starmer could become the country’s next prime minister –something Miliband missed out on himself in 2015.

Despite his past setbacks (including mockery of how he ate a bacon sandwich), Miliband has re-emerged as a prominent figure in Labour circles, recently working as the shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero.

So, who is Ed Miliband, and what does he stand for?

Who is Ed Miliband?

Born on Christmas Eve in London to Jewish refugee parents, Miliband and his older brother David grew up in a household where political discussions were the norm.

Their father was a leading Marxist theorist as well as a vocal critic of the Labour Party, and their mother similarly ran in prominent leftist political circles.

Like several other UK politicians, Miliband studied politics, philosophy, and economics at Oxford before pursuing a master's degree at the London School of Economics.

First elected to Parliament in 2005, Miliband has had quite a varied political career as both a backbencher and Labour leader.

Over the past two decades, Miliband has experienced a tense leadership race with his brother, faced intense media scrutiny, suffered a massive Labour defeat leading to his resignation, and yet managed to revive his political reputation, emerging as a key contender in a potential future Labour government.

In his current role as shadow energy secretary, Miliband may play an important role in the party’s environmental projects should they come to power.

What roles has he had in Parliament?

Harking back to the start of his professional life, Miliband’s political career kicked into gear when Labour Party MP Harriet Harman recruited him as a policy researcher.

By 1997, he had already built up enough Labour connections to be appointed as Chancellor Gordon Brown's special adviser.

But it wouldn’t be until 2005 that Miliband officially entered politics when he was elected for the first time as an MP for Doncaster North.

Miliband was later inaugurated into his first cabinet role when his former boss, Brown, became prime minister, while his older brother became foreign secretary.

He’s also had roles as parliamentary secretary, secretary of state for energy and climate change, and minister and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

What he’s probably best remembered for, however, is the 2010 Labour leader race.

At the time, both Miliband brothers were eyeing the top spot following Brown’s resignation, and many expected David to win the nomination. But, in a surprising turn of events, the younger Miliband narrowly won the position – prompting David’s resignation from the front bench.

As leader of the opposition, Miliband faced stiff criticism from the media and the right of UK politics regarding his policies and even appearance, for looking like a certain Aardmaan Animations character. However, he maintained that he could certainly lead the country.

In 2014, he said: “You can find people who are more square-jawed, more chiselled, look less like Wallace.

“You could probably even find people who look better eating a bacon sandwich. If you want the politician from central casting, it’s just not me, it’s the other guy. And if you want a politician who thinks that a good photo is the most important thing, then don’t vote for me. Because I don’t. Here’s the thing: I believe that people would quite like somebody to stand up and say there is more to politics than the photo-op.”

However, the following year, Labour lost out during the general election amid a close battle with the Conservatives – prompting the end of his tenure as leader.

When did he step down as Labour Party leader?

Miliband stepped down as Labour leader in 2015 after the party failed to make the gains that they had hoped for in the general election.

At the time, Miliband said: "I take absolute and total responsibility for this result. I want to thank those people who ran our campaign. It was the most united and enjoyable campaign I've ever been involved in."

He continued to serve as a backbencher and was re-elected in 2017 before returning to the shadow cabinet in 2020.

What has he said about the general election?

Addressing the upcoming general election, Miliband took aim at Tory failures over the past 14 years,

In May, he said: “ I will be campaigning across the constituency to deliver Labour’s message for change that our country and our communities so urgently need. With Labour’s plan, we can turn the page on 14 years of Tory failure. It’s time for change in Britain.”

He has also previously spoken about Labour’s hopes of winning the Tory outer London seats but added: “My experience of general elections is that nothing is a walk in the park, and we take nothing for granted.”