Ed is braving a Lobby lunch:

"I regret the Bob Holness Blackbuster Twitter error. I'm just relieved he didn't present Treasure Hunt" Another Ed Miliband joke!—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) July 12, 2012

Ed Miliband: 'Like all politicians I don't bear grudges – i learned that from Gordon…'—
Sam Macrory (@sammacrory) July 12, 2012

Miliband explains there are no hard feelings between him and News Corp. "They want me to lose the election. I want them to go to jail."—
Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) July 12, 2012

Before he'd even seen it! RT @nicholaswatt Ed Miliband: congratulated brother last night on fantastic edition of New Statesman he edited—
Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) July 12, 2012

Miliband on meeting Aung San Suu Kyi: we talked of years under brutal dictatorship, oppressed day + night, then she said enough about Gordon—
James Chapman (Mail) (@jameschappers) July 12, 2012

He’s here till Thursday…

Yesterday Labour published their policy review report making the case for a British Investment Bank. Ed told an audience at the Co-op bank that the UK’s financial services sector was “socially destructive“, throwing his weight behind Nicholas Tott’s suggestion of a state-run investment bank to help small businesses. That’s the same Nicholas Tott whose credentials include Bromley NHS’ Private Finance Initiative, a scheme with such astounding success that the trust has now effectively gone into administration. Good to know that Ed is listening to the right people on finance…

There is a right old bunfight going on in the Chamber between Osborne and Balls over the LIBOR scandal. Guido noticed that defending the Brown era of financial regulation on the Opposition front bench were; Brown’s former SpAd Ed Miliband, Brown’s closest aide and henchman Ed Balls, as well as Chris Leslie, Brown’s (uncontested) leadership campaign manager. The government always wants to remind everyone that the people who were in charge of banking regulation when the scandals and collapses happened are still around. Leading the Labour Party…

UPDATE: Osborne has just said the same thing:

Osborne: 'The Brownite cabal with all their tactics are alive and well in the Labour Party and have taken over the leadership'—
James Chapman (Mail) (@jameschappers) July 05, 2012

Ian Birrell in the Indy writes…

“…tough talk on immigration blurs the image of Ed Miliband as an out-of-touch north London liberal (which he is, of course).”

Ed Miliband wasted no time in dumping his old boss in it at Leveson. When asked yesterday whether any of his advisers had briefed against colleagues, Gordon Brown insisted:

“I would hope not, I have no evidence for that.”

Yet Ed says that’s not the case. Asked whether Ed Balls, Charlie Whelan or Damian McBride had ever engaged in negative briefings to the press, he said:

“Ed Balls, no. Charlie Whelan left, I believe in 1999…one of the reasons he left was he briefed. On Damian McBride, when I was a Cabinet minister, I did raise a specific concern that I had with Mr Brown, I believe in 2008, about some of Mr McBride’s activities.”

Gordon says he knew nothing about the dark arts of Whelan and McBride, but Ed says he personally told him about it in 2008. Brown was on oath…

UPDATE: 

Both Miliband and Major have torpedoed Brown's evidence today on spads. Brown was either wilfully ignorant, self-deluded or lying.—
Tim Shipman (Mail) (@ShippersUnbound) June 12, 2012

As Guido reported in the Daily Star Sunday at the weekend, there’s a bit of a conflict of interest coming up at Leveson this afternoon:

“The inquiry’s chief inquisitor Mr Robert Jay QC might have to miss out on two of the biggest names though. He’s the boss of the 39 Essex Street chambers where Justine Thornton, also known as Mrs Ed Miliband, works. This apparent conflict of interest should see someone else interrogate the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.”

It would be a shame to miss out on a Mr Jay showdown with Dave on Thursday, but Guido can’t really see how he can question Ed.

UPDATE: It’s Jay. Imagine the fuss if Jay was Sam Cam’s boss…

UPDATE II:

Blimey. Jay makes declaration about Miliband's wife demanded earlier by @guidofawkes ! #leveson—
Ross Hawkins (@rosschawkins) June 12, 2012

UPDATE III: As reported by the Guardian:

“Jay reopens the inquiry by confirming he is head of chambers at the law firm where Miliband’s wife works. However, he says he has not met Miliband outside the circumstances of this inquiry.”

The swivel-eyed Europhiles in Ed’s team seem to have beaten Cruddas and Balls. The Labour leader said earlier:

“Our position has not changed since six months ago. We didn’t think it was the right time to be doing that given all that was happening… The priority in the eurozone is to sort out the problems of the eurozone. At this moment the idea that Britain would now embark on a referendum on getting out of Europe… The priority has got to be getting out of these problems… we needs to concentrate on jobs and growth at home, and they need to concentrate on jobs and growth in the eurozone as well.”

It does not rule out a referendum forever, but water is definitely being poured on growing speculation that Ed might actually do something bold…

Click to Play

Not a sentence headline we would normally use, but it would appear the Labour leader is frit. Ever since Neo-Guido asked Ed at a press conference whether he preferred the NHS or football, operational press releases and invitations to speeches immediately dried up. The BBC picked up the question after Ed missed an NHS rally and instead went to a football match with one of his donors, so while cheeky, it could hardly be described as unfair. Even Cameron has the Morning Star and Mirror to his pressers…

Back in the leadership election Tom Watson organised a hustings for candidates. Writing in the Guardian about it, he said Guido would probably try attend but “if you can’t deal with him in a public meeting, you don’t deserve to be Labour leader.” Wise words there…

Ed Miliband just revealed that he’d met with David Davis, saying that they agreed on an increasing number of subjects – an In/Out referendum is creeping up that list. Labour backing the plebiscite would be opportunistic, calculated and brilliant. It would drive the Tories round the bend and no effort has been made to shut down the speculation this weekend. Cameron has reaffirmed his position against the idea, putting the ball firmly in Miliband’s court. Ed also coughed that they both had some harsh words for the Prime Minister: “but, that is perhaps, another story”…

UPDATE: Liar Politicians got the video:

As Guido recommended last year, Labour could play a blinder if they outflank the Tories on the issue of an EU referendum. It appears there could be some movement:

It might be right to have a wider referendum on uk membership of eu, but not now – ed balls.—
Patrick Wintour (@patrickwintour) May 14, 2012

If Dave does end up on the wrong side of history here, he only has himself to blame…