Justine Greening MP: Ed Miliband and Ed Balls are demonstrating that for Labour, integrity and credibility play second fiddle to political manoeuvring

Justine Greening is Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

It’s been almost a year since we switched from the opposition to the government benches, and we’ve already made huge progress, putting in place the deficit reduction plan and making Britain open for business again.

But changing where you sit in the chamber also gives you an interesting perspective on your opponents. I spent two years in the Shadow Treasury team, and it taught me that being in Opposition is not just about opposing; it’s about presenting a credible alternative government.

So how are Labour doing? Right now, they don’t seem to be adjusting well to their new role.

Fiscal discipline can make or break an opposition. But after the two Eds’ much-hyped warning to front benchers not to promise any new spending, Labour have managed to rack up £16 billion of unfunded commitments in the last few weeks alone – a staggering figure.