Lord Owen, a founder of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), says he could rejoin Labour after being impressed by Ed Miliband’s leadership.
The former foreign secretary, who left Labour to help form the breakaway SDP 30 years ago, said he would “certainly consider voting” for his old party.
He also said that he has been in contact with Mr Miliband.
He told BBC1′s Politics Show Mr Miliband had performed “extremely well” since becoming Labour leader.
Lord Owen joined with Roy Jenkins, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, becoming known as the “gang of four”, when they formed the SDP in 1981 after splitting from the Labour Party.
Lord David Owen
Marking 30 years after the breakaway party was formed in 1981, the former Foreign Secretary also praises Ed Miliband for planning changes to the role of trade unions in the way Labour chooses its leader.
In a BBC documentary to mark the 30th anniversary of the SDP’s formation, the 72-year-old crossbench peer, who was one of the Gang of Four who formed the party, says: “My heart belongs to Labour still. I want them to succeed, I want them to be better.
“To this day, I call myself a social democrat. I am not going to join any other party than a social democratic one and if Labour becomes a social democratic one, I will eventually vote for them. I hope that will happen before I die.”
Lord Taverne reveals how Roy Jenkins, another SDP founder member, considered leaving Labour several years before the new party was formed. Lord Taverne met the late Lord Jenkins during the former’s successful campaign as an independent Labour candidate in the Lincoln by-election in 1973.
He says: “I had a meeting with Roy Jenkins just before the by-election, and I then said to him: ‘Look, Roy, I’m pretty sure I’m going to win this by-election. I don’t know by how much but if you come and support me, we’ll win overwhelmingly. It’ll be your victory as much as mine and we’d win overwhelmingly.’ And he was tempted but didn’t.”
Asked if Lord Jenkins was seriously considering leaving Labour eight years before he did, Lord Taverne replies: “Yes, he was.”
- Similar posts
- Labour veterans to oppose alternative vote system (42.1%)
- Labour win Barnsley by-election (29.8%)
- Ed Miliband says profound change is needed (27.2%)
- Labour win byelection (27.2%)
- Some antidepressants may reduce cancer risk (19.9%)
Ed Miliband is more popular than Nick Clegg among people who voted Liberal Democrat in last year’s general election, according to a poll.
The YouGov survey for the Sunday Times found just one-third (33%) of those who backed Mr Clegg’s party last May would do so again if there was an election tomorrow, while 41% would vote Labour and 11% Conservative.
Among Lib Dem voters at the last election, only 30% said Mr Clegg was doing a good job as leader, against 36% for Mr Miliband.
The poll comes after Thursday’s by-election in Oldham East and Saddleworth, at which Labour claims it picked up thousands of ex-Lib Dem supporters, while the third party’s vote was shored up by Tories backing it in the hope of shoring up the coalition Government.
On Saturday, Mr Miliband attempted to reach out to disaffected Lib Dems, saying he recognised how painful it must be for them to see their leaders make the “tragic mistake” of entering coalition with Conservatives and telling them he stood ready to cooperate with them to fight the Government’s cuts agenda.
Overall, the poll gave Labour a six-point lead on 43% to the Tories’ 37%, with Liberal Democrats languishing on 9%.
David Cameron had his lowest personal approval rating in a Sunday Times poll since becoming Prime Minister eight months ago, with 48% saying he was doing badly and 45% doing well. But his overall approval rating of minus-3 was well ahead of Mr Miliband on minus-10 and Mr Clegg on minus-30.