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18/01/2012
'McCluskey Is Wrong' - Miliband
The Leader of the Labour Party has defended his leadership and policies against major criticism from a top union chief.
Responding to a highly critical article in Tuesday's Guardian by the leader of the Unite union, Ed Miliband has this morning said he was "changing the Labour party" and taken tough decisions.
In the article, the Unite's general secretary Len McCluskey said the "embrace of austerity" by the Labour party's leadership represented "a victory for discredited Blairism" at the expense of the party’s core supporters.
Mr McCluskey also said the Labour leadership's support for a public sector pay freeze challenged the whole course Ed Miliband had set for the party, and jeopardised his leadership.
The criticism comes as pressure continues to mount on Mr Miliband who has come under fire from a number of former supporters, including former policy adviser Lord Glasman, in recent weeks.
Hitting out at his latest critic, Ed Miliband said Len McCluskey was entitled to his views but was "wrong".
“I am changing the Labour Party so we can deliver fairness even when there is less money around and that requires tough decisions," he said.
Mr Miliband added: “It requires a tough decision to put the priority on jobs ahead of public sector pay. It also requires us to say we do believe the Government is going too far, too fast with their cuts but we are not going to make specific promises to reverse those cuts unless we are absolutely sure that we know where the money is coming from.
“That is right, it is responsible and it is the way we are going to proceed.”
(DW)
Responding to a highly critical article in Tuesday's Guardian by the leader of the Unite union, Ed Miliband has this morning said he was "changing the Labour party" and taken tough decisions.
In the article, the Unite's general secretary Len McCluskey said the "embrace of austerity" by the Labour party's leadership represented "a victory for discredited Blairism" at the expense of the party’s core supporters.
Mr McCluskey also said the Labour leadership's support for a public sector pay freeze challenged the whole course Ed Miliband had set for the party, and jeopardised his leadership.
The criticism comes as pressure continues to mount on Mr Miliband who has come under fire from a number of former supporters, including former policy adviser Lord Glasman, in recent weeks.
Hitting out at his latest critic, Ed Miliband said Len McCluskey was entitled to his views but was "wrong".
“I am changing the Labour Party so we can deliver fairness even when there is less money around and that requires tough decisions," he said.
Mr Miliband added: “It requires a tough decision to put the priority on jobs ahead of public sector pay. It also requires us to say we do believe the Government is going too far, too fast with their cuts but we are not going to make specific promises to reverse those cuts unless we are absolutely sure that we know where the money is coming from.
“That is right, it is responsible and it is the way we are going to proceed.”
(DW)
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