Ed Balls in thinly-veiled attack on Labour leader Miliband for fluffy newspaper interview

December 23rd, 2011

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

By
Rob Cooper

Last updated at 6:27 PM on 22nd December 2011

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls today launched a thinly-veiled public attack on Labour leader Ed Miliband after he posed for pictures at home with his family for a newspaper.

Mr Balls said he would ‘never ever’ allow photos of his family to be used, no matter how ‘short term, tactical and tempting’ it might be.

The Labour leader was seen on the front page of the Daily Mirror yesterday cuddling his young son Samuel, while wife Justine held two-year-old Daniel.

Family photo: Ed Miliband posed for this picture with his wife Justine and sons Daniel and Samuel. It appeared with a newspaper interview

Attack: Ed Balls said he would 'never ever' pose for pictures with his family

Attack: Ed Balls said he would ‘never ever’ pose for pictures with his family

Further pictures inside showed the parents playing with their children in front of a Christmas tree.

The highly personal portraits emerged with Mr Miliband under pressure over poor opinion polls and badly-received showings in the Commons.

David Cameron has previously taken part in similar photoshoots.

However, speaking to the Fabian Review, Mr Balls indicated he and wife Yvette Cooper – the shadow home secretary – would not involve their son and two daughters in such publicity.

‘The most precious thing for me and us is definitely protecting our children so that they can be who they want to be,’ he said.

Without mentioning the Prime Minister or Mr Miliband, the shadow chancellor added: ‘However short-term, tactical and tempting it might be to have pictures on the front of a Sunday magazine, we would never, ever do that.’

It is not clear whether the interview was carried out before the Mirror article appeared.

Mr Balls dismissed suggestions that he wanted to unseat Mr Miliband, whom he lost to in last year’s leadership contest.

He insisted he backed the leader ‘100%’ and warned against the party ‘turning in on itself’, but added: ‘Who knows what will happen in life?’

‘I want to be Chancellor,’ Mr Balls said. ‘As I sit here today, I’m happy that is the summit of my ambition. (But) God knows what can happen in life.’

At home with the Camerons: David Cameron poses for a picture at home with his wife Samantha, right, and his children, before the general election

The former Cabinet minister said he believed Mr Miliband was ‘preparing the ground’ and the electorate would eventually recognise the arguments Labour was putting forward.

‘I’ve said to Ed (Miliband) a number of times: ‘You have to be good at opposition. You’ve got to be the answer to the big question,’’ he said.

‘The best moment he’s had so far on doing that politically was phone hacking, though maybe that wasn’t a cut-through moment for my constituents in Morley in quite the way it was in Westminster.’

Mr Balls went on: ‘You have to prepare the ground so that when the question is asked, you are the answer. That’s what he’s doing.’

The shadow chancellor also disclosed that he had taken advice from former Prime Minister Tony Blair – with whom he has had a stormy relationship – before drafting his response to George Osborne’s autumn statement.

Despite pledging to eschew family photoshoots, Mr Balls does give a glimpse into his home life.

‘We have a continual debate about whether the presents should arrive in pillow cases or socks,’ he said. ‘I think pillow cases. Yvette thinks socks.

‘My argument is that, with socks, you get less in.’

Asked whether he was limiting his children’s gifts to reflect the country’s economic hardship, he replied: ‘It all comes from Father Christmas.’

Family: Ed Balls with his wife Yvette Cooper who is also in the shadow cabinet. He said today he would not pose for a picture of his whole family

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Newest
Oldest
Best rated
Worst rated

Who cares what these ghastly MP’s get up?

– Mr B Onion, UK, 22/12/2011 17:47

thats because new labour despises family values.

– mickdastardly, old bolton lancashire i am not a manc., 22/12/2011 17:45

Ed Balls doesn’t seem to have too much loyalty to anyone, even his own leader. Says a great deal about the man who takes every opportunity for one upmanship.

– Nancy, Norwich Norfolk, 22/12/2011 17:41

This man lost the Labour Party leadership election. He came a very poor 3rd. Now he is attempting to undermine the duly elected leader. Shows just what he thinks of democracy. A nice follow up to his attempt to woo the Lib Dems and impose an unelected Lib/Lab pack Government. Ed “So What” Balls and Brown are cut from the same cloth. They are both thoroughly rotten.

– Anon, UK, 22/12/2011 17:35

Ed Balls still believes in Father Christmas like many Labour leaders recently. They don’t realise that things have to be paid for by taxpayers, but we all know that, why didn’t AND don’t they ?.

– alan, warks, 22/12/2011 17:19

As we all knew, there is absolutely no love lost between the nonentities within the Labour party. Watch out behind you Wallace…….

– John, Luton, 22/12/2011 17:00

oh, after seeing this photo it makes me see sorry forgot his name as a family man and I have an un-controlable erg to vote for him. NOT.

– mike smith, France, 22/12/2011 16:49

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.