Is David Miliband about to stand down and move to Europe?

Jonathan Isaby is reporting that he has been told that David MIliband is poised to stand down from his South Shields seat in order to take up the EU “Foreign Minister” job created by the Lisbon Treaty.

I have always being of the opinion that D Milibands movements on the European front would indicate how the wind was blowing on the Labour leadership front. I have previously written that Lord Mandelson is the real key to the leadership, and that anyone who wants the thrown needs his backing.

If Jonathan’s sources are correct then it would indicate that D Miliband does not have the full support of the Business Secretary – leaving the way clear for his younger brother or even Ed Balls.

I think, out of the current Cabinet, that the front runner would have to be Ed Miliband. For one thing Ed would fulfill one of the key criteria for any new leader, namely the change in leader has to be generational.

Saying that the labour party needs a young leader to go up against a young Prime Minister is not the in thing to say right now, but it is nether the less true.

It is now widely accepted that Gordon Brown was the wrong leader for labour for many reasons, one of them being that he his seen as old and dower compared to David Cameron and Nick Clegg – both seen as young and vigourous by their parties.