Ed Miliband

QUENTIN LETTS: Should politicians be allowed to campaign on NHS premises? Lee Anderson (Reform, Ashfield) caused a kerfuffle in the Commons by complaining about a recent election event at his constituency's hospital. It featured Sir Keir Starmer and Labour's health spokesman Wes Streeting, plus a Labour mayoral candidate. Mr Anderson said the event amounted to 'gutter politics' and that the Labour mayoral hopeful, who happens to chair that hospital trust, was using the place as 'a campaign prop'.

ANDREW PIERCE: As one of the architects of New Labour, the former Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson enjoys an open line to Sir Keir Starmer. The consummate master of political spin and self-styled 'Prince of Darkness', who masterminded Tony Blair's 1997 election victory, was banished to the wilderness during Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. But how long will he be back in favour with Starmer? A few weeks ago, he was back in Labour HQ's bad books when he said that 'Starmer needs to shed a few pounds' to boost his popularity. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused Mandelson of 'fat shaming'.

Coming through the radio was an unfortunate, adenoidal voice that all but shrunk my toothpaste back into its tube. For this distinctive drone was emanating from a man with a base layer of smugness and repeated high notes of condescension. It was Ed Miliband, Labour 's Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero, being interviewed on Radio 4's Today programme last Thursday. You might have thought he might have had the good grace to slink out of politics after having led the Labour Party to defeat in the 2015 General Election. No such luck.