The Week in Review: Miliband sets his trap - Politics.co.uk

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It was a trap so obvious, it's amazing anyone decided to step into it. Ed Miliband's pledge to freeze energy bills was a shark pit so clearly marked you could make it out at fifty paces during a power cut. "Please step into it," the Labour leader all but shouted from the conference stage. Please for the love of God just dip your toes in. While senior Tories loitered gingerly around the edges, Lib Dem energy secretary Ed Davey pulled on his trunks and dived straight into the cool dark waters below. "Labour risk the lights going out," he declared, warning that energy bosses would be starved of the "investment" they so dearly needed. If there was any doubt whose side he was on, a picture of Davey grinning with energy company execs quickly removed it. "Congratulations to @eonenergyuk for winning the best commercial exhibition stand award at at #ldconf" his press office tweeted, in the most banal yet poorly time tweet of the year. Before long other government figures were jumping into the shark infested waters, with half the British press cheering them on from the side. Red Ed is taking Labour back to the seventies, they protested, as polls showed overwhelming support for his plans. A price freeze would be economic vandalism, they repeated, as Labour regained a nine point lead in the polls. Even Peter Mandelson, a man who was twice forced to resign over his dealings with businessmen, joined in defence of the energy companies. The Labour leader really couldn't have hoped for more. By now the dividing line was so clear Miliband hardly even needed to point it out. People must decide if they're "part of the problem or part of the solution" he explained calmly. "The Conservative party will support [the energy companies], but I'm in a different place. I'm standing up for the British people". By now the government had realised the scale of their error. "Won't somebody think of the energy bosses?" is never going to be an election winning slogan. By coming out so strongly against freezing energy bills they risked confirming all of the worst stereotypes about the coalition. As they clambered onto their lifeboats, Michael Gove was the first to grab at the oars. "One thing that Ed Miliband did get right is that the energy prices at the moment are too high," he told the Question Time audience on Thursday. "I do take what [energy companies] say with a pinch of salt actually." At the start of the week, Miliband's opponents were thrilled at his apparent lurch to the left. By the end of the week, many of them were lurching along with him. Best of news Cameron refuses to debate Salmond on independence David Cameron has formally turned down a debate with Alex Salmond on independence, saying Alistair Darling is a better person to go head-to-head with the Scottish first minister. Blackout warnings from energy bosses a 'bluff' say public The public do not believe threats from energy bosses that Ed Miliband's plans to freeze energy bills would cause blackouts, a new poll has found. Iain Dale cautioned for assaulting protester The publisher of Damian McBride's book has been cautioned for assaulting a protester, during an interview with the former spin doctor this week. Burnham bids to save job with 'historic' NHS motion Andy Burnham will seek to strengthen Labour's commitment to integrating social care into the NHS later - and reinforce his job security in the process. One last smear: McBride attacks Miliband's leadership qualities Ed Miliband's judgement as prime minister would be limited by his "tendency to overthink things", Damian McBride has said. Ed Balls signals retreat on HS2 Ed Balls today signalled a retreat on Labour's support for High Speed 2. Labour pledges 25 hours free childcare Working parents would be entitled to an extra 10 hours of free childcare a week under proposals being announced by Labour today. Best of Comment and Analysis When Peter Mandelson was in favour of bleeding the energy companies Miliband isn't taking Labour back to the seventies. He's taking them back to 1997. Comment: Miliband's fatuous attack on energy firms won't fix anything Miliband's lazy populism means he can only try and cut prices for existing utilities, rather than commit to the investment we need for the future. Analysis: Will Labour's energy price freeze win votes - or lose them? Tensions are already running high in Brighton as energy companies get ready to take on Ed Miliband's price freeze - and the Labour leader may be more vulnerable than he realises. Labour's got the policy, but its press machine is still a shambles Miliband has found a necessary and popular policy, but the party is such a mess he can't sell it. Five reasons for Ed Miliband to be cheerful Ed Miliband enters his conference week in terrible shape, but there is still lots for him to be cheerful about. The Political Week Online The Political Week Online: Labour conference special Miliband: Red Ed and the energy blackout myth.	CIOB video: It's all about people NASUWT comments on GCSE results Commenting on the GCSE results, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said: NUT Wales comment on GCSE Results Commenting on this year’s GCSE results, NUT Secretary, David Evans, said: NUT comment on GCSE results Commenting on today’s GCSE results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said: NASUWT comments ahead of publication of GCSE results The fact that GCSEs are challenging and demanding qualifications is buried in an avalanche of politically motivated, false claims of grade inflation, dumbing-down and easy options, say the NASUWT. CIOT: Institute warns of ‘dangerous precedent’ over tax code for banks Government proposals for a strengthened Code of Practice on Taxation for Banks1 will set a “dangerous precedent” by giving HMRC power to determine and publicly announce non-compliance with the Code without any right of appeal, the Chartered Institute of Taxation has warned.

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