Prescott pours scorn on Miliband's shadow Cabinet

Monday, 26 September 2011 10:30 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has called for Ed Miliband to reshuffle his shadow Cabinet.

The outspoken peer made clear his frustration with the tendency of many senior Labour figures to apologise for New Labour's record in government.

"You never win anything on your knees, get up and fight," he told the Today programme.

"They always seem to accept the 13 years of Labour was a failure. I stay stop apologising for that, stop complaining and get out campaigning, and be proud of Labour."

Lord Prescott's criticism of the shadow Cabinet comes one year after the party held elections to decide the makeup of its frontbench team at its autumn conference.

"There are some people in there who are undoubtedly not carrying their weight. They're not even campaigning," he added.

"This is a Tory government that's doing quite frankly some outrageous things and we haven't had many words of protest. Ed, you're the leader, get a shadow Cabinet who'll do that."

The party is currently meeting in Liverpool where it passed its Refounding Labour motion, giving Mr Miliband the chance to choose his own shadow Cabinet.

Pressures are growing in the party, with shadow Scottish secretary Ann McKechin among those facing criticism.

Labour MPs are demanding she be replaced as she is too much of a "cerebral person", the Scotsman newspaper reported.

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