Ed Miliband is coming under renewed pressure to sack shadow chancellor Ed Balls – and, for once, it's because the Labour bruiser is accused of being too moderate rather than too aggressive.
Balls is under fire for having ruled out tax increases – should Labour come to power in May 2015 – to pay for the NHS and social care for the elderly.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The latest anti-Balls whispers started after he used a Daily Telegraph interview to rule out tax increases proposed by shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, including a 15 per cent duty on estates dubbed a "death tax" by the Tories.
Balls, desperate to bury Labour's reputation as the tax-and-spend party, said: "People feel they are paying too much tax already. We have to get the balance right between balancing the budget and making sure the NHS continues to deliver."
Balls is therefore in the unlikely position of appearing too "wet" for some Labour MPs, who have become alarmed at the party's failure to open up a commanding lead over the Tories in the opinion polls.
Balls won't be too worried about upsetting Labour backbenchers - but he might be more concerned to hear the unions are grumbling about him too.
Trade union leaders insist that Labour must increase taxes to restore pay among their members who have suffered several years of below-inflation one per cent rises, and to improve NHS standards which they say have suffered under the coalition government.
The truth is that Balls's rejection of tax increases was a naked attempt to reassure wavering Tory-Ukip voters that a Labour government will not squeeze the middle classes.
Right on cue, the Independent on Sunday came out with analyis by Dr Matthew Goodwin, professor of politics at Nottingham University and "a leading expert in Ukip's rise", suggesting that Labour could actually lose seats to Nigel Farage's party if it continues to be complacent about Ukip's chances.
In the process, Labour could lose one of its rising shadow cabinet stars, Gloria de Piero, whose Nottinghamshire seat is one of five identified by Goodwin as being particularly vulnerable to Ukip, mainly because of voters' concerns over immigration.
As the Independent reports, "Dr Goodwin’s study contradicts the assumption among some shadow cabinet figures that a leap in backing for Ukip at the election will help Labour by hitting the Conservatives disproportionately hard".
Calls for Balls to go are nothing new, of course. In December last year, the Mole reported how Labour MPs were sharpening their knives for Balls over the sacking of Sharon Shoesmith, head of children's services in Haringey, following the 2007 Baby P scandal.
However, Miliband appeared then just as reluctant to sack Balls as Tony Blair was to rid himself of Gordon Brown. And there's nothing to suggest that Miliband has since found the strength to deal with Balls.
Normally, one would say that ditching Balls could transform Labour's chances at the May 2015 general election: voters generally don't like Balls, both for his abrasive manner and for his close links to his old boss, Brown.
But to fire him now, just when he's trying to prove that Labour can be trusted on the economy, would surely backfire on Miliband. Don't put money on Balls being moved in the upcoming pre-election shadow cabinet reshuffle.
-
Which way will Trump go on Iran?Today’s Big Question Diplomatic talks set to be held in Turkey on Friday, but failure to reach an agreement could have ‘terrible’ global ramifications
-
High Court action over Cape Verde tourist deathsThe Explainer Holidaymakers sue TUI after gastric illness outbreaks linked to six British deaths
-
The battle over the Irish language in Northern IrelandUnder the Radar Popularity is soaring across Northern Ireland, but dual-language sign policies agitate division as unionists accuse nationalists of cultural erosion
-
Reforming the House of LordsThe Explainer Keir Starmer’s government regards reform of the House of Lords as ‘long overdue and essential’
-
How long can Keir Starmer last as Labour leader?Today's Big Question Pathway to a coup ‘still unclear’ even as potential challengers begin manoeuvring into position
-
The Board of Peace: Donald Trump’s ‘alternative to the UN’The Explainer Body set up to oversee reconstruction of Gaza could have broader mandate to mediate other conflicts and create a ‘US-dominated alternative to the UN’
-
Three consequences from the Jenrick defectionThe Explainer Both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage may claim victory, but Jenrick’s move has ‘all-but ended the chances of any deal to unite the British right’
-
The high street: Britain’s next political battleground?In the Spotlight Mass closure of shops and influx of organised crime are fuelling voter anger, and offer an opening for Reform UK
-
Nigel Farage’s £9mn windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
-
The launch of Your Party: how it could workThe Explainer Despite landmark decisions made over the party’s makeup at their first conference, core frustrations are ‘likely to only intensify in the near-future’
