Milibands' mum back Abbott
Monday, 9 August 2010 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
The mother of Ed and David Miliband is backing rank outsider Diane Abbott for the Labour leadership.
The brothers' mum has been expected to stay neutral in the race, and watch it with a mixture of "pride and head-scratching", David Miliband had previously said.
But Ed Miliband has confirmed that Marion Miliband would instead lend her vote to Ms Abbott, despite her fierce attacks on her fellow contestants as "geeks in suits".
In an interview, Ed Miliband admitted to reservations about taking on his brother David, who is still - barely - the frontrunner, before adding: "Our mother is fine about it. She's voting for Diane Abbott."
Meanwhile, Ms Abbott was highlighting the awkward eventuality of one of the brothers winning and the other having to serve in his Cabinet.
"They certainly seem close enough but how it would work with two brothers in the Cabinet, one of whom lost, is not for me," she told Sky news.
"[It's] very interesting. I don't think any political parties have ever had a situation where two brothers so close in age were battling it out for the leadership."
Ms Abbott also brought up the massive disparity in funding between the candidates.
"It is important that whoever wins, it is seen to be a fair process which money didn't play too much influence in," she said.
"They are all great candidates but it is odd that David Miliband has £400,000 and I have £5,000. His politics are not ten times more popular than mine in the Labour party.
"He has got the big Blairite money and the big Blairite backers because he's the Blairite candidate which is fine but that's what it is."
The Labour leader will be announced at the party's autumn conference at the end of next month.
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