Ed’s investigation into Falkirk row is a ‘whitewash’

Pressure on Labour leader Ed Miliband intensified last night over the Falkirk selection row.

A host of figures lined up to suggest the entire episode was everything from a “whitewash” to an “embarrassment” despite Miliband having told this newspaper he would go through the “proper procedures” in investigating what went on in Falkirk.

The Tories accused him of “caving in” to the trade unions.

Now that the Labour investigation has found no rules were broken it has raised a host of further questions about the integrity of the investigation and why Miliband earlier this year promised to reshape Labour’s relations with the trade unions in response to what were then just allegations of impropriety on the part of mega union Unite.

Miliband endured a torrid summer of criticism for failing to get Labour’s message across.

He chose to break his silence by talking to The Sunday Post, the only interview he’s given this summer.

He said: “On the issue of Falkirk, I’m determined that we uphold the good name of the Labour party.

“What’s important is that we go through our proper procedures.

“I think it’s really important this is a contrast, when we have problems in our party we don’t try to sweep them under the carpet we deal with them.

“That’s a contrast with David Cameron when he’s had problems about things like cash for access he’s tried to sweep them away.”

However, today Miliband stands accused of doing just that and trying to make the problems surrounding the Falkirk selection contest disappear in time for his keynote speech at the big gathering of trade unions, the TUC conference in Bournemouth, this week.

A Conservative spokesman said: “Ed Miliband promised he wouldn’t sweep selection rigging under the carpet, but now he’s caved in to his union paymaster, Len McCluskey, and tried to do exactly that.”

Labour started looking for a new candidate in Falkirk after sitting MP Eric Joyce got himself convicted after fighting in a House of Commons bar.

He announced he would stand down in 2015.

But the real problems began when accusations emerged that Unite were trying to rig the selection contest in favour of their preferred candidate Karie Murphy.

Murphy and Stevie Deans, chair of the Falkirk Labour party, were suspended and Murphy’s current boss heavyweight MP Tom Watson resigned from his position as Labour election supremo.

Then he issued a florid resignation letter praising Miliband for his “Buddha-like qualities of patience, deep thought, compassion and resolve”. (And, bizarrely, recommending the music of unknown band Drenge).

But yesterday, after Deans and Murphy were reinstated late on Friday, he said: “Someone in the Labour Party owes Karie and Stevie Deans an apology.

“They’ve had a terrible few months they’ve been staked out by tabloid journalists, had their characters traduced in the newspapers, been attacked by frontbenchers and now they’ve been found innocent of any of the allegations.”

He added that it would be “very gracious” if Miliband himself said sorry.

Miliband has refused to do so. Deputy leader Harriet Harman said there was no need as it was Miliband’s duty as leader to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

Many on all sides now think that investigation was flawed.

Watson claims the evidence was “factually inaccurate” while Eric Joyce piled in yesterday suggesting it was a whitewash.

He added: “In my view they (Unite) stepped outside the rules and the evidence for that now seems to have been withdrawn by the key people, but I don’t think that really leaves a credible result as far as anyone’s concerned.”

Unite member Brian Capaloff, who is on the Labour party executive in Falkirk, called for the original internal party report into the episode to be published and said Mr Miliband had caused himself “a complete embarrassment”.

Tory party chairman Grant Shapps said: “Ed Miliband must now stop dithering, come clean and publish Labour’s report in full.”

However, the Labour leader told The Sunday Post that won’t happen. He said: “People gave confidential interviews, like any organisation it’s a confidential report.”

With both Unite on the left and the Tories on the right pressuring Miliband, surely he won’t be able to maintain that position for long.

How long he can maintain his own position at the top of the Labour party is now also open to question.

It all piles more pressure on him ahead of a vital party conference that begins next week.