A record of seven days of attacks on Ed Miliband ... from his own side

By Joseph Willits 
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Over the past week, Ed Miliband has come under criticism from various figures in the Labour party - including from mentor and architect of 'Blue Labour', Lord Glasman, and other Labour MPs. Adding to this list today, both Alan Johnson and Alistair Darling have expressed their concerns.

In Saturday's Guardian interview, a calm Ed Miliband appeared defiant towards his critics:

 "You discover things about yourself in this job, which is that I am someone of real steel and grit, which is why I stood for the job in the first place when many people said I should not."

• In today's Daily Mirror, former Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that for Labour to be electable it must shed its "debating society" approach, and state how it would cut the deficit. The party cannot use small opinion poll leads to "hide the fact the public remains suspicious about Labour".
• Former Chancellor Alistair Darling  said that Labour had "to restore [its] reputation for economic credibility", and offer a “credible and compelling” economic position.
• Downing Street's Deputy Chief of Staff from 2007-10, Gavin Kelly called for a "bigger and blunter" debate on public spending and for the party to unlearn old political models.
• Writing in the New Statesman last week, Lord Glasman accused Miliband's leadership of having "no strategy, no narrative and little energy", with the Labour party leader himself having "flickered rather than shone, nudged not led".
• Over the handling of Diane Abbott's controversial tweet, Labour MP Graham Stringer said: "I don’t think on issues such as race we should look as hypocritical or as incompetent as Liverpool FC has done in the Luis Suarez case. Ed has got to get a grip and turn it around before the May elections".
• Miliband could still be a success as Labour leader, suggested Meg Munn MP with more clarity in Labour policy. Munn also added: "Whether he will be is another matter".
• Echoing comments made by Lord Glasman, Roger Godsiff MP also called for "fresh thinking" in the Labour party, and "to break with the old order economically".

Diane Abbott says that "white people love playing divide and rule". If she doesn't quit, Miliband should sack her.

By Paul Goodman
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Abbott tweeted the above late yesterday evening.  Guido Fawkes argues that she thus deliberately provoked hatred of a racial group, and is therefore in breach of the 1986 Public Order Act.

I'm taken by the fact that Abbott is a member of Ed Miliband's front bench health team.  She was making Labour's case only yesterday over the breast implant row.

Aiden Burley was recently sacked as a PPS after reportedly hired a nazi costume for a stag party. David Cameron's decision to fire him was unavoidable.

This is worse: imagine how the Guardian or the BBC would react if a Conservative MP said that "black people love playing 'divide and rule' ".

They would be right to so so.  Such an MP would be maligning their fellow citizens on a racist basis.  This is exactly what Abbott has done.

Even the most clear-cut apology won't do.  Nadhim Zahawi MP believes that Abbott should quit and  Miliband should fire her if she doesn't.  This view is severe but correct.

And I hope that the BBC and the Guardian give Abbott the same coverage that they would devote to my imaginary Tory MP - noting as they do that she has form on this matter.

11.30am update: A statement from Labour has finally appeared.  It reads: "We disagree with Diane’s tweet. It is wrong to make sweeping generalisations about any race, creed, or culture."

So let's continue the imaginary exercise.  A Conservative front bencher tweets: "Black people love playing 'divide and rule' ".  He claims his remarks were taken out of context and CCHQ simply issues the statement above: no reprimand, no sacking.  What do you think would happen next?

12.15pm update: We now have from Abbott a classic non-apology apology. She said:  “I understand people have interpreted my comments as making generalisations about white people. I do not believe in doing that. I apologise for any offence caused.”

The problem wasn't that some people interpreted her tweet as making generalisations about white people.  It was that it did make generalisations about white people.