Ed Miliband's wife Justine has joined his general election campaign, giving a feisty interview to the BBC in which she defends her husband against "vicious personal attacks" and says she knows “it’s going to get worse”. But the word has gone out from Labour: don't call her Justine Thornton.
“I think over the next couple of months it’s going to get really vicious, really personal,” she told the BBC’s deputy political editor James Landale, “but I’m totally up for this fight and I’ve thought about the reason why and the reason is because I think this goes way beyond Ed as an individual.
“I think it’s about whether decency and principle count for something in political life, wherever you are on the political spectrum. And so it’s not just about Ed, but it’s about every single politician who tries to do the right thing, despite the personal attacks.
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“I think it’s incredibly important that political life in this country stays open to decent, principled people, so if you ask me why I’m up for a fight, I’m fighting not only for Ed, but I’m fighting for a principle of decency in public life.”
The interview is not a one-off: it is planned that she will join her husband on the road when possible. But is it a sign of her husband’s weak position that she should be needed at his side?
Isabel Hardman blogged for The Spectator: “It’s a way of giving Miliband, who does not enjoy good ratings as a leader, and who has not managed to convince voters yet, a human edge.
“Mrs Miliband would be unlikely to do such an interview were her husband in a stronger position. That she has done one at all is telling. But the gentle interview and the sense that unpleasant forces are out to get Miliband, may encourage sympathy for the Labour leader as well as suspicion of his opponents.”
Patrick Wintour in The Guardian said the BBC interview was part of an attempt by the Miliband team to insist his decency should not be mistaken for weakness or an inability to change Britain. (It’s an issue that also came up in Simon Hattonstone’s extended interview with Miliband published at the weekend.)
The BBC were allowed to film the couple’s two children on their scooters, with one of them complaining that their father was “always on the phone”.
Mrs Miliband went on to suggest the personal vilification of her husband by the media - including allegations he is geeky, looks hapless eating bacon sandwiches, and lacks leadership qualities - is a result of his decision to take on the Murdoch empire over phone-hacking.
She said the attacks on her husband were coming from vested interests that were being challenged by him. “I think if you are going to stand up to some powerful people in this country and declare a pretty serious intent to bring about change, you are going to get attacked.”
Justine, who married Ed Miliband in March 2011, is better known around Westminster as Justine Thornton, a clever lawyer specialising in environment law.
However, Labour does not want her to go by her maiden name. The Guardian carried an extraordinary correction at the end of Wintour's report, stating:
“This article was amended on 10 March 2015. The original references to Justine Thornton have been changed to reflect Labour’s statement that she wished to use the surname Miliband in political life.”
The Labour message is clear: she may have her own identity, but Labour are keen that she plays the role of the political wife for the duration of the campaign to avoid confusing the voters.
The question now is: will Samantha Sheffield (Cameron) and Miriam Gonzalez Jurantez (Clegg) feel bound to follow Justine Thornton on the campaign trail?
