Does no change at No. 10 mean back Balls?

Thanks to Miranda Richardson on her Sky blog for highlighting the fairly equivocal responses by Peter Mandelson to the last couple of questions in this short interview.

If this week was supposed to have produced a change of approach from Number 10 then why was the business secretary less than forthright in his closing responses.

The conclusion, surely, is that Brown has won, there will be no real change in Labour’s strategy and in the medium term that makes Ed Balls’ chances of the leadership that more likely.

For when the next leadership election takes place the question of what the main contenders did during this crucial week will be central. Balls has got the benefit of not being associated in any way with the plot while several potential rivals have done themselves no good at all.

The best Balls price I could find was the 22/1 at Victor Chandler. Ladbrokes, William Hill, and Bet365 are all at 20/1.

Mike Smithson