Miliband readies online campaign for leadership race
Labour Party leadership frontrunner David Miliband MP is preparing to launch an ambitious online campaign capitalising on social media and blogger support to back his bid to succeed Gordon Brown.
Miliband said he has acquired a domain name and developed a campaign site for his leadership battle.
Miliband already has dmiliband.com and davidmiliband.net and has more than 20,400 followers on Twitter and rising (more than the Labour Party’s official @UKLabour account. However, that number has rocketed since Nick Clegg led his Liberal Democrats into government with the Conservatives as junior partners. It has hit almost 20,000 as thousands sign up online to join the party. Yesterday alone it signed up more than 4,000 members — last week the party had around 15,000 followers on Twitter.
On Facebook the former foreign secretary, and the man seen as Tony Blair’s successor, has more than 2,300 friends.
In a statement on his website, Miliband says: “I will formally launch my campaign next week with a new website. In the meantime I hope that you will use this site to join my team by filling in the form below, let me know your ideas on the future of our party and, when the campaign gets underway, campaign with me for Labour and Britain’s future.”
Miliband is also said to have contacted leading left of centre political bloggers to help him implement a social media strategy. According to PR Week this could include the LabourList blog and its editor Alex Smith.
The magazine cited another possible blogger in the Miliband camp and Jessica Asato who is the departing director of Progress and a Labour councillor in North London.
Yesterday, she tweeted “Glad you’re supporting @DMiliband!” and “Sign up to @DMiliband’s leadership campaign here: http://bit.ly/doupHU #david4leader”.
Miliband is expected to face younger brother Ed Miliband, another ex cabinet minister, but closer to Gordon Brown, as well as two other ex-cabinet ministers, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham.
No word on the candidate of the left Jon Cruddas who has been tipped as a possible deputy to David Miliband who already has the backing of nearly 20 MPs including newly-elected 25-year-old Pamela Nash (youngest in parliament), and former ministers including Phil Woolas, Jim Fitzpatrick and Gareth Thomas.
In a speech yesterday Cruddas gave no hint as to whether he would stand: “The key element is that rebuilding process is time. We’re in for the long haul here, and time is on our side. We must not rush a leadership contest, or have any sort of coronation. And as the party must take its time, so I will carefully consider my position.”
Miliband’s campaign has received a huge boost from former Home Secretary Alan Johnson who ruled himself out of the race. While his is out in front in terms of social media, his rivals have been much quieter.
Brother Ed last tweeted two days ago. “We owe Gordon a huge debt: Britain is a fairer country and our world is more just because of what he did. Today he showed grace and dignity.”
Ed Balls, who only narrowly held onto his seat, has not tweeted since May 9th “Thanks for all the very many messages after Friday’s result. Much appreciated”.
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