24 hours after Guido reported that Ken had blamed America for the Boston bombings on Iranian state television, and still he has escaped reprimand. Tory MP Brooks Newmark has now written to Ed demanding he be sacked from Labour’s NEC:

“I find it wholly reprehensible for Mr Livingstone to link the Boston bombings to Western intervention in the Middle East. In doing so, he suggests that the actions of the two Boston bombers were justified and excusable. I am sure that both you and the Labour Party agree that terrorism, which in this case killed three innocent people and injured many others, is never justified and never excusable.

He also intimates that America itself was responsible for the bombings. I am sure that you will also agree with me that the only two people responsible for the bombings were the terrorists themselves.

As a member of Labour’s NEC, Mr Livingstone has been placed in a position of responsibility and influence within your Party. As leader of the Labour Party, I call on you to condemn these disgusting remarks and remove Mr. Livingstone from your NEC. I know you will want to do so as soon as possible to make clear that neither you nor the Labour Party condones such beliefs.”

Your move, Ed…

Guido’s favourite Labour spinner Kenny Young has departed Team Miliband. Apparently “after five years it’s time to do something different”. Calamity Kenny shot to fame when he was snapped, literally, waiting on hand and foot for Gordon. After being involved in Duffygate he joined Team Ed for the Labour leadership battle and again had some trouble with doors. When Ed won Kenny went from Head of Press to Press Office Manager, but his finest hour was still to come – his now infamous Blackbusters tweet which was written from his boss’ account:

So long Kenny, we’ll miss ya…

Morning Kenny,

Ed Miliband will accuse David Cameron of ‘bunkum mentality’ over refusal to meet doctors, nurses and patients’ groups—
  (@EdMPress) February 20, 2012

Ed Miliband to accuse Cameron of ‘bunker mentality’ over refusal to meet doctors, nurses and patients’ groups—
Labour Press Team (@labourpress) February 20, 2012

When recycling old attacks on Brown, it’s probably best to clear the line with everyone…

Labour are having a spectacularly bad week. Ed finally surfaced today to commiserate the death of TV’s Bob Holness, star of Blockbusters:

A is at the other end of the keyboard from O. A source in Ed’s office was quick to spin that given Kenny Young, the Press Officer Manager with emphasis on the manager, is in charge of the twitter feed, “and not much else”, this is most certainly his handy-work.

We are told that a “relaunch speech” is currently being “desperately cobbled together” for Monday or Tuesday. What could possibly go wrong?

Things must be getting bad for Miliband when even the most loyal of apparatchiks are beginning to lose faith. Guido hears readers’ favorite, and Ed’s campaign press officer, Kenny Young is telling people he’s down in the dumps and disillusioned. Having been demoted to Press Office Manager, with the emphasis on the manager, apparently Kenny’s heart isn’t in it as much as it once was. With the constant failure to get on the front foot and set the agenda, even Ed’s loyal gatekeeper and former SpAd Polly Billington is said to be exasperated. Time to brush off those CVs…

Sounds like Tom Baldwin isn’t exactly top of his game either:

I saw Tom Baldwin earlier in PCH. Sunken eyes darting around as he chewed maniacally on a piece of gum. All in all he looked like sh*t.—
Felicity Parkes (@FelicityParkes) June 13, 2011

Guido would be crying into his pint too..

UPDATE: Jon Craig has also noticed the glum faces on the Labour press team. Do these progressives need Prozac?

Glum faces among Labour spin doctors on spinners'' bench in Press Gallery as Cameron repeatedly quotes Tony Blair in PMQs. Cheer up, chaps!—
  (@joncraig) June 15, 2011

Regular readers will remember the adventures of Kenny Young, Ed Miliband’s “Press Office Manager”. After a series of calamities the emphasis in Labour circles is on the “office manager” part of the title. On bigotgate day, rumour has it that young Kenny’s contribution to the “how the hell are we going to spin this one chat?” was to suggest they say Gordon had said “bighearted”.

Since his promotion from Gordon’s Door-Opener in Chief , Kenny has wound up so many people in Team Miliband  that they dispatched him to Scotland a few weeks ago. Kenny is on load as pointman to Iain Gray, Scottish Labour’s dull and insipid leader, for the duration of the Scottish elections.

Sadly for Kenny though, Labour’s collapse in the polls up north began soon after his arrival, and yesterday The Sun switched its support to the SNP. Not because of Murdoch’s new-found love of William Wallace, but in order hit Miliband where it hurts – in the Labour heartland.

The Scottish Labour campaign has been as dreary and cack-handed as their leader, who is remarkably less human than Miliband. Even with the might of Kenny on board they have been unable to overcome the inexplicable charm of Salmond. It’s going to be an interesting dispatches from the front when Calamity Kenny ventures back south, if there’s even a job for him upon his return. 

Given that this was meant to be Ed Miliband’s big relaunch day, back from nappy leave and hitting the ground running etc, he has been amazingly quiet. Invisible even.

After a “no huskies“ interview with The Guardian this morning there has been radio silence ever since and the lunchtime top of the hour news bulletins have barely even given him a nod. Admittedly the Irish bailout news is dominating, but it’s not as if Red Ed has even managed to secure the second headline slot - that’s gone to the high-heeled Grant Shapps and his council housing reforms.

Apparently Ed is addressing the PLP tonight with his plans for reforming the Labour Party, particularly with how to stop his own farcical technical victory from happening again. Given the slaughtering that Harman got at the last meeting after the sacking of Woolas, (that was coincidently followed up nicely with some interesting facts about her appearing in the press,) it can’t get any worse for the struggling leader. However Guido has to wonder what the point of doing the interview this morning was then? Why not wait until after the meeting (which traditionally happens on a Monday) to go all guns blazing into the press? Is Miliband set to go down the Gordon path of relaunch after tired relaunch?  Another stunning success for Miliband’s Press Manager Calamity Kenny…

It’s worth nothing that it was twenty years ago today that the Tories knifed Maggie. If Gordon had been a Tory leader he would have been out the door by Christmas after the election-that-never-happened. If Ed is really going to significantly modernise the Labour Party he better be careful to keep the rules that make it much harder to oust a Labour leader than a Tory or LibDem. Guido’s always happy to dispense helpful advice…

Aaron “Marius“ Porter hinted on the Politics Show that the NUS, a.k.a. him, may put up a candidate at the Oldham by-election, triggered ironically by the disgrace of a former NUS President. The NUS press office is in a mess this morning, but apparently Porter is denying he would stand independently, which makes sense given he would take votes from Labour and jeopardise his chance for a safe seat in 2015. The same reason rules out former President Wes Streeting who left his lucrative job at PWC to remain a Labour councillor. He’s not going to blow his chances.

Labour are desperate to find a candidate quickly and rumours are flying of who they have approached. The very close association of Phil’s loyal old bag carrier, Shona Woodfine has damaged her chances of getting the nomination and the race is very much open…

Given that tuition fees rises have been the most emotive part of the cutting agenda, so far, it would make sense for Labour to shore up their base and steal LibDem votes by running their by-election campaign around this issue, distracting from the shame of their former Member. Porter would have to quit as NUS President to run, and although Wes told Guido he wouldn’t run, in no uncertain terms, it’s not like an aspiring candidate has never denied an interest in the past. But on the ground things are hotting up…

Sources say the NUS/Labour hacks to keep an eye on are Josh MacAlister, a former Labour Students hack who now bills himself as “a teacher from Oldham” (he’s on TeachFirst which means he does this for a year or two and then goes away to work in the city). Only problem being he supported David Miliband.

The other is Kev Peel, a gay rights campaigner, championed by Gordon Brown and a ruthlessly ambitious careerist. Both boys set up the “Keep Oldham Labour” Facebook site. A friend close to Mr MacAlister says he isn’t surprised Josh is in the running and says he is “highly rated” in the local association. You heard it here first…

UPDATE: “Local teacher” MacAlister’s close friendship with his old student union ally Kenny Young might come in very handy. Depite an omnishambles of a career so far, Clamity Kenny has somehow managed to rise to the dizzy heights of Ed Miliband’s “Press Manager”.

Someone to lobby for him on the inside…

Polly Billington – Gatekeeper and PR. Former BBC presenter and SpAd at the Department for Enviroment and Climate Change. (1)

Sadiq Khan - Campaign Manager. Controversial expenses fiddling MP for Tooting.

Lucy Powell – Chief of Staff. Failed PPC. (2)

Katie Myler – Spokesman. Former SpAd to Jacqui Smith, and the daughter News of the Screws editor Colin Myler. (3)

Stewart Wood – Head of Comms. Former Brown Bunker Bod and very close to Ed. (4)

Kenny Young - Press Officer. “Calamity Kenny” just about says it all. (5)

Rachel Kinnock – Events. Keeping it in the family. (6)

Greg Beales – Speechwriter. Highly rated boyfriend of spokesgirl Katie Myler. (7)

Ayesha Hazarika – Speechwriter. Stand up comic and Harman SpAd. (8)

James Morris – Polling and Message. Ally of Democrat and Brown pollster Stan Greenberg.

Alex Smith – Messaging and New Media, though doing diary work too. Editor of LabourList. (9)

Anna Yearly – Bag carrier. (10)

Nirmalee Wanduragala – Researcher. Former SpAd to Rosie Winterton and Fabian. (11)

Calum O’Byrne Mulligan – Researcher. Friends accuse him of being “Stalinist”. (12)

An update on calamity Kenny hits the inbox from a Scottish co-conspirator:

You may like to know that Kenny today led Ed Milliband through the turnstiles at the Scottish Parliament. However, oor Kenny led Ed to the wrong turnstile that only allows people to enter rather than exit. Cue a good 30 seconds or so of Ed looking like a cock trying to get through an immovable door. A far cry from Kenny’s door holding days of glory with Mr Brown.

Malcolm Tucker he ain’t…