Overview
- Ed Miliband was named foreign secretary by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday and opened his tenure by pledging to seek a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine and to strengthen ties with NATO, the EU and the UN.
- Miliband’s 2013 decision as Labour leader to whip MPs to oppose UK strikes on the Assad regime remains central to scrutiny because US officials later said that Parliamentary opposition discouraged the Obama administration from launching military strikes.
- His record also includes resisting UK involvement when the US and Israel launched a war on Iran and pushing for the UK to recognise a Palestinian state, positions he said reflect lessons from the Iraq war about avoiding military action without a clear plan.
- Immediate reactions were sharply political, with former prime minister Boris Johnson blaming Miliband for emboldening Vladimir Putin and reports saying the White House is deeply concerned about the appointment.
- Coverage divides by outlet: right-leaning opinion pieces portray his past votes as a strategic failure that harmed Western deterrence, while left-leaning outlets and regional papers emphasise his pledges on diplomacy and the context of Iraq-era distrust of intelligence.