Vintage Prezza.

Within days of the GMB canceling their million pound direct debit to the Labour Party, Ed exonerates the unions from undemocratically stitching up MP selections. Brutal power politics at its most raw. Union member witnesses mysteriously withdrew their allegations that they were signed up to the Falkirk Labour Party without their knowledge, Karie Murphy withdraws her candidature and everything is swept under the carpet in time for TUC conference. Ed has bottled it…

The GMB made him leader, they pay the bills, they pull his strings on policy and they have now pulled his leash. Ed’s attempt to stand up to the unions has left him looking weaker…

George Galloway endorses Labour…

‘I want to see Ed Miliband as prime minister and the sooner the better’

Today Labour are forcing a vote on welfare reform and the strange thing about it is both the Tories and Labour are happy with the dividing line. Labour’s position is that they want a freeze on public sector pay and to raise benefits – hence the Tory attack poster this morning.

Labour argue that welfare reforms will take money from in work benefit recipents – strivers. IDS argued this morning that since Brown made 90% of workers welfare recipients that is inevitable. In an example this weekend the Observer warned that in-work welfare recipients could lose up to £470 per annum. Ignoring that the tax threshold hike will largely cancel out and compensate for that loss. Taking people off benefits and out of tax – ending Gordon Brown’s madly wasteful money-go-round…

Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls will lose their child benefit today, though with a joint income of some £130,000 they should be able to cope. Millionaires Ed and Justine Miliband probably won’t even notice it is gone with their £400,000 plus income. Labour have to sell on the doorstep paying welfare benefits to millionaires and raising benefits higher than workers’ wages. They think it can be spun as a vote winner…

Dan Hodges opines…

“Ed Miliband’s decision to fight the Tories on welfare is the biggest tactical blunder since General Custer said “I hear the Little Big Horn’s looking good this time of year”.”

Red Len McCluskey is driving a secret policy aiming to build up a £30 million war chest to fund Unite’s “struggle for Labour’s soul“. An internal Unite document seen by Guido reveals that the union is planning a huge consolidation of its property portfolio:

The document then shows that Unite will spend the cash on a new political strategy which aims to parachute union-friendly candidates into marginal seats. They seek to:

• “Advance Unite’s ‘policy agenda’ through Labour’s ‘constitutional structures.
• Work with other affiliated unions to secure the adoption of trade union (or union-friendly) candidates in winnable constituencies in particular.
• Increase Unite members’ involvement and participation in local Labour Parties.”

It’s the blueprint to turn Labour Red…