The reshuffle, being branded as ‘Phase 2’, is thoroughly Blairite in all other respects. Clearly it was planned as a kind of blitzkrieg on the soft left to consolidate power for the centrists. Darren Jones, who was appointed Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, is a pure Blairite and a fiscal hawk. Rachael Reeves is also now basically forced by stark reality to be Blairite, the government has no option but to shift away from expansive left-wing spending toward more restrained strategies focused on growth. Blair veteran, Jacqui Smith, was brought back and put in charge of Skills under fellow Blair veteran, Pat McFadden, who was given the Department for Work and Pensions, which has expanded to become a power centre in the cabinet. Alison McGovern, another hardcore Blairite, also joins his team as the Minister for Employment. The Slop Right, now virtually devoid of brain power, and fuelled almost solely by ‘vibes’ and increasingly American clicks, has focused on the fact that Shabana Mahmood, the new Home Secretary, is a Muslim. That is true, but she is also a Blairite who represents a tougher stance on immigration and border control. She is joined by Mike Tapp, also a Blairite, who is said to be very serious about implementing stricter enforcement border measures and enhanced deportation processes. So while Mahmood is seen as a ‘woke’ appointment by Slopulists, the Home Office is in real terms is getting closer to the David Blunkett ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ model. Other staunch Blairite appointments in the cabinet include Emma Reynolds, Peter Kyle, and Douglas Alexander, who bolster ranks which already included Wes Streeting and Liz Kendall.

All this means Miliband is now virtually surrounded, he is the last soft left or Brownite hold out, ‘the nugget’ , that which will not flush (it should be noted that he retains the Brownite minion Angela Eagle in his office, so maybe a nugget and a half). Starmer wanted to shunt Miliband off to Housing to pick up Rayner’s remit (something of a poison chalice), but he refused to move. How could he get away with this? First, Miliband enjoys significant support from climate change ideologues in the Labour Party, and Starmer does not really have the capital for another revolt from the backbenches. Second, as a former party leader, it is possible Miliband has receipts and keys to skeleton closets. Some activists within the Labour Party view Net Zero as non-negotiable, and with Starmer already facing criticism for a perceived rightward shift (on immigration, flag slop etc), he needs some sort of bone to throw them. It is likely he has calculated that forcing the issue now would alienate the left too much at this time when the part requires unity and cohesion. The trouble is that Energy is not a bone that the country – or Starmer – can afford to throw. Since Miliband is now an isolated figure in the cabinet, it is possible he will be gradually frozen out of meetings, that parts of his remit will be taken away and reallocated, and that he will be undermined at every turn by the Treasury, Work and Pensions, Home Office and all the other Departments under full Blairite control.

Remember, the Dark Lord never suffers defeats, only setbacks. Miliband has somehow survived again, but as a matter of necessity, it surely cannot be for long.