Wedding season: Miliband sets the date

Wednesday, 30 March 2011 1:32 PM

By politics.co.uk staff
Ed Miliband has set a date to marry his partner, Justine Thornton, bringing to an end rumours of his marital status.
The two gave a short interview with reporters outside their home this morning, where the Labour leader confirmed that he had proposed on Primrose Hill, near their house in north London.
Looking very much in love, the 41-year-old politician told reporters that they had conducted their relationship in their own way and resisted getting married simply because of media pressure.
A YouGov poll last year showed 82% of people would not change their voting intention on the basis of Mr Miliband's marital status. Just eight per cent said it would make them less likely to vote Labour but four per cent said they were more likely to support him because he was not married.
But parts of the media were much less understanding of his relationship with the environmental lawyer, however, and the Labour leader faced continuous questions about his plans during media interviews.
"I feel incredibly privileged to be marrying someone so beautiful and who is such a special person," Mr Miliband told the Doncaster Free Press, his local paper.
"It's the right time for us to do this and I'm really looking forward to a lovely day."
Ms Thornton, 40, said: "I am marrying him because of who he is and not because of what he's doing now."
The couple will marry on May 27th at a small and informal event in Nottingham, where Ms Thornton is from.
The Labour leader will not have a best man, fuelling speculation that he has not managed to patch things up with his brother after defeating him at the Labour leadership race.
Ed was David Miliband's best man at his wedding.
But the newly-engaged leader insisted that his brother and his wife were the first people they invited to the wedding.
"We're planning on a small ceremony, all at the hotel with everything at the same place and we're looking forward to it very much," Ms Thornton said.

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