In an event at Nuffield College yesterday, Ed Miliband revealed that he has no plans to leave the House of Commons, and intends to stay and remain involved in parliamentary politics.
The seminar, which was advertised on the Department of Politics and International Relations lecture list for Michaelmas 2016, was attended by between 150 and 160 students.
The event was organised by Lord Wood and John Cruddas, both former staffers of Labour governments and visiting fellows at Nuffield, and is the first of a series of high-profile Labour MP speaking events on ‘The Future of the Left’, taking place in even weeks of Michaelmas Term.
Miliband was interviewed on stage by Steve Richards, chief political columnist of The Independent. Richards asked him whether he would remain in the Commons for the foreseeable future, and take a “high-profile” role in public de- bates, as he did in support of Remain during the EU referendum campaign.
Miliband replied that he is “not going anywhere” and has “no plans to leave Parliament”.
Felix Westerén, a second-year PPEist, told Cherwell, “The event itself was good, and gave us a comprehensive view of where Miliband stands now.
“Still although he can identify the issues facing Labour and their root causes quite lucidly, he seems to be as clueless as everyone else about how they can be overcome.”
Miliband’s former opponent at the ballot box, David Cameron, was also spotted in Oxford this week, visiting his old college Brasenose and the Blavatnik School of Government.
According to Matt Burwood, President-Elect of OUCA, Cameron’s visit was “not entirely surprising”, as he was “trying to discover what comes after politics by returning to where it all began.
“Turning a corner into Brasenose’s central quad, I was suddenly on collision course with the most recognisable face in recent British politics, and the party leader whose brand of liberal “One Nation” Conservatism first drew me to the Party,” he said.
“A chance to meet him without crowds in a re- laxed environment was quite the unexpected treat.”
