Is Jeremy Corbyn plotting a shock return to frontline politics for Ed Miliband?
Former Labour leader is said to be advising Corbyn on how to handle hostile media
JEREMY Corbyn is said to be plotting a shock return to Labour’s top team for Ed Miliband.
The former Labour leader is already reported to be offering “counsel and advice” on how to handle the media.
But according to The Times, the hard-left leader wants to welcome Mr Miliband back into the fold in the event of a summer reshuffle to his shadow cabinet.
The move comes despite Mr Miliband presiding over the party’s worst election result since 1987 in last year's general election.
One Labour MP told the newspaper: “Ed agrees with more of Jeremy’s programme for change than he agreed with the stuff he was doing when he was leader himself.”
Mr Miliband is widely blamed for the rise of Corbynmania by allowing anyone to vote in the party’s leadership contest if they paid £3.
One former frontbencher said. “Ed shouldn’t be in the Shadow Cabinet. He should be in jail for what he did to the Labour party.”
It is believed plans are afoot to overhaul Labour’s frontbench team after the EU referendum, removing leadership critics who were given jobs in the early days and promoting “true believers”.
A source told the Times: “We’ll be stronger after it than before."
The reshuffle could include a job for Mr Miliband, who declined the offer of a return to the frontbench when Mr Corbyn became leader eight months ago.
Earlier this year Mr Miliband was spotted having a coffee with the Labour leader’s top team sparking rumours of a return to frontline politics.