When Ed Balls narrowly survived his incredibly tight re-election bid early on Friday morning, his “we are fighters” speech was in no doubt one of a leadership contender. Despite the forces of hell on call and the campaign team in place, the Morley and Outwood result will come back to haunt him – the briefing has already begun. Who could possibly be putting the word around that Balls can’t conceivably run  as his seat is now a tight marginal? Step forward Miliband, D.

Finally with enough courage to make a move, Miliband was putting the word out at tea time yesterday that he would be announcing his candidacy later that evening. He was slapped down at the Cabinet though and agreed not to say anything until the negotiations with the Lib Dems have ended. He is already building his online grass-roots team and both James Purnell  and Google’s DJ Collins are rumoured to be heading up the troops. The complexity of the internal rules by no means makes this a clear run for the favourite though, and he might have to sort things out closer to home first. Union loved Ed Miliband refuses to deny that he has pre-warned their mother that he was planning on running against his older, dorkier Blairite brother.

Elsewhere the left are salivating at a Cruddas bid, though Miliband would prefer to have him for a dream ticket. Harman’s denial that “you can’t run for leader at the same time as being deputy leader” was hardly watertight. Darling has ruled himself out, Straw is seen as too old. Alan Johnson is said to be still making his mind up…