Before Labour had the “King of the North” in Andy Burnham, there was the “prince across the water” – David Miliband.
Since he left Westminster more than a decade ago, speculation has been rife that the former leading cabinet minister, a personal friend of Hillary Clinton, could return to British politics.
Now, with his ally Mr Burnham the prime minister-in-waiting, the elder Miliband is being spoken of as a potential foreign secretary.
His return to the political fold would certainly help Mr Burnham hit the ground running as prime minister, but does it come with its own dangers – not least the fact that some Labour MPs are already eyeing him up as the man they want to take over if Mr Burnham fails to turn around Labour’s dire poll ratings.
Why is David Miliband being considered?
For large parts of the Labour Party, David Miliband represents unfinished business.
Many expected him to take over as party leader in 2010. However, the surprise entrance of his younger brother, Ed, now the energy secretary, into the race created a soap opera that allies believe hurt his chances.
In the years since, he has built an impressive reputation as the leader of International Rescue Committee, the global aid organisation. He is seen not just as a safe pair of hands, but a genuinely talented politician, perfectly at home on the foreign policy beat.
Mr Burnham would have to make him a peer, with a seat in the House of Lords, to bring him into the cabinet, but handing him the job of foreign secretary could allow Mr Burnham to flip the narrative that dogged “never here” Sir Keir Starmer.
The PM was seen as successful on the international stage, even as he became more and more unsuccessful at home. Mr Burnham could benefit from a “big beast” who can cover foreign policy, allowing him to succeed domestically.
Are some MPs already considering him as a replacement for Burnham?
Yes. Even before the next PM takes over, there are some MPs within his party who fear his project will fail. And wondering who their next leader should be.
They worry the same problems that dogged Sir Keir risk derailing Mr Burnham.
Labour has been trailing Nigel Farage’s Reform party in the polls for more than a year. Donald Trump is still in the White House, conflicts are raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the economic outlook for Britain is uncertain.
Others disagree with his brand of Labour politics and do not join him in the “soft left” branch of the party.
All this means some MPs are already eyeing David Miliband as a potential replacement.
One MP told The Independent this week that, not only would he be his pick for the next PM, potentially just ahead of the general election, but he could also see himself offering Mr Miliband his own seat in the House of Commons to make that happen.
That series of events, of course, is exactly how the former Greater Manchester mayor, Mr Burnham, triumphantly returned to Westminster last month as the victor in the Makerfield by-election.
Why is there a backlash?
With David Miliband tipped as a potential foreign secretary and his brother Ed spoken of as a potential chancellor, that would leave just one of the great offices of state, home secretary, to be filled by a woman. Female Labour MPs are understood to feel aggrieved at the thought that there could have been more Milibands in the top jobs in government than women.
There are also concerns that the government risks being seen as full of what have have already been dubbed “New Labor zombies”. To add to the names of James Purnell – a former cabinet minister who is Mr Burnham’s pick for chief of staff – and David Miliband, there are also reports that Ed Balls, the former children’s minister, could be brought back.
One senior Labour figure, who would not be seen as an ally of Sir Keir, recently told The Independent: “This will all end in tears. And then people will just try to find another person to replace Andy.”
