Miliband 'Smear Involvement Claims Untrue'

Labour leader Ed Miliband has been forced to deny any involvement in attempts to smear opponents amid claims that “damaging” emails could have been sent by him to one of the key figures in a plot to attack senior Tories.

The potential link between Mr Miliband and Derek Draper, who was behind a proposed Labour-supporting political gossip website, is among the latest allegations in a memoir from Gordon Brown’s former spin doctor.

The drip-feed of claims from Damian McBride threatens to overshadow the Labour Party conference despite Mr Miliband’s efforts to seize the initiative by announcing he would scrap the “bedroom tax” if he wins the 2015 general election.

In the latest extracts from Mr McBride’s memoir Power Trip, being serialised in the Daily Mail, the former member of the Brown inner circle suggests Mr Miliband could “have problems” if any emails to Mr Draper became public.

Labour sources denied that Mr Miliband had any involvement in the proposed Red Rag website, which ultimately brought about the downfall of Mr McBride, and the book does not suggest he was involved.

A spokesman for Mr Miliband said: “Ed was not involved in any plan to smear or spread lies about opponents. Any suggestion he was is totally untrue.”

Mr McBride was forced to resign as Mr Brown’s head of strategy in 2009 after he sent Mr Draper emails containing scurrilous gossip and lies about Conservative MPs as planning for Red Rag took shape.

Meanwhile Labour activists have begun to gather for the party conference in Brighton where delegates are to be told that childcare will be a “top priority” for the 2015 general election.

Parents of primary school children will be guaranteed access to childcare from 8am to 6pm under Labour plans to help working families, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has told The Guardian.

The conference is expected to focus heavily on cost of living issues and newspaper reported that other policy pledges would include strengthening the minimum wage in specific sectors such as retail and catering as growth returns, as well as fresh action to crack down on energy bills.

Ahead of the conference former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott urged Mr Miliband to produce concrete policy proposals and has questioned the “character” of the new generation of Labour MPs.

He said Mr Miliband’s attempts to appear strong by seeking a confrontation with the unions were “not enough” and he needed to put forward a “coherent” agenda.

In an interview with Total Politics magazine Lord Prescott said Mr Miliband had to set out a “very clear idea” and a “vision” about what he wanted to achieve as Labour leader.

Miliband 'Smear Involvement Claims Untrue'