The shift is complete. On Monday, July 20, Andy Burnham named Ed Miliband foreign secretary in his first cabinet after replacing Keir Starmer. The appointment puts the younger Miliband brother in the same office his older brother David held from 2007 to 2010.
Miliband, 56, had served two years as energy security and net zero secretary. He was also floated for chancellor. Burnham chose the Foreign Office instead, handing him a portfolio that now includes the war with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Ukraine, and a U.S. relationship already strained by Miliband’s own past rhetoric.
A “point of friction” with the White House
The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday that a senior Trump administration official called Miliband a likely “point of friction.” The official cited his opposition to new oil and gas drilling and his support for renewable energy policies Trump has fiercely opposed. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, went further. He claimed the administration warned Burnham against the appointment, labeling Miliband a “red diaper baby” and a “twit.” Bannon holds no official post, but his remarks reflect hostility in parts of Trump’s base.
The U.S. administration has a long file on Miliband. After Trump’s 2016 win, Miliband wrote that people should resist “the worst of Trumpism,” calling the victory “dark days for America and the world.” He later questioned how Britain could speak of shared values with “a racist, misogynist, self-confessed groper.” In 2017 he said Trump had “lowered the bar for idiocy” and joined anti-Trump protests in London.
Since Trump’s return, Miliband has struck a more conciliatory tone. He acknowledged past comments but said his duty as a cabinet minister was to work with the elected U.S. administration. In his first statement as foreign secretary, he pledged to deepen Britain’s strategic partnership with the European Union while maintaining the “strong, enduring and essential alliance” with the United States.
Iran bases and North Sea drilling
Tensions extend beyond old social media posts. British media report Miliband was among ministers who opposed granting advance U.S. approval to use British bases for strikes against Iran in February. The bases under discussion included Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford. Starmer initially rejected the request. After Iran retaliated, Britain approved limited use for defensive strikes against Iranian launch capabilities. Trump responded that Starmer was “not Winston Churchill.”
Energy policy is another flashpoint. Miliband architected Labour’s pledge not to issue new North Sea oil and gas licenses. In 2023 he accused then-prime minister Rishi Sunak of trying to ignite a “Trump-style climate culture war.” For a president whose slogan is “Drill, baby, drill,” the appointment is an awkward start.
Record and reputation
Critics — Conservatives, Reform UK, Restore Britain, energy firms, some unions — argue his policies threaten jobs, increase import dependence, and raise household costs. Supporters counter that he lifted onshore wind restrictions, accelerated solar and wind approvals, and secured about 100 billion pounds ($135 billion) in private clean-tech investment. The Guardian called him one of Starmer’s most effective ministers.
Public opinion remains cool. YouGov polling for Q2 2026 found 92% of Britons recognize him, but only 22% hold a favorable view. Forty-seven percent view him negatively; 23% are neutral. Within Labour, the picture flips. A May YouGov poll showed 77% of members view him favorably. A Survation survey for LabourList ranked him first among cabinet ministers with a net favorability of 70 points.
From sandwich to statecraft
Miliband’s political rehabilitation is striking. The 2014 bacon sandwich photograph became a defining meme of the 2015 campaign. The Sun ran it on its front page on election eve. Labour lost; Miliband resigned the next day. He stayed in Parliament, launched the podcast Reasons to be Cheerful in 2017, and gradually rebuilt a more relaxed public persona. Starmer brought him back to the front bench in 2020.
His Jewish identity shapes his worldview. The son of Marxist intellectual Ralph Miliband and Holocaust survivor Marion Kozak, he describes himself as a “Jewish atheist.” His first foreign secretary statement began with his parents: “They came to Britain as Jewish refugees from the Nazis. To them, Britain was both a sanctuary and a beacon of hope in the global fight against fascism.” His mother died in May at 91.
On Israel, his record is complex. As Labour leader he called himself a friend and supporter of Israel, recognized its right to self-defense, and opposed boycotts. He also sharply criticized the 2014 Gaza campaign, backed British recognition of a Palestinian state, and accused Israel of unjustified suffering and destruction. His appointment raises concerns in some Jewish organizations while prompting hopes he will advance a two-state solution. He pledged to work toward “a sustainable peace in Palestine and Israel.”
The 2013 Syria vote still shadows him. Miliband led Labour opposition to Cameron’s motion for military action after Assad’s chemical weapons use. The motion failed 285 to 272. Critics call it a historic failure of Western deterrence. Miliband said in 2024 he did not regret the decision.
Now he will be judged not on eating in front of cameras but on reconciling long-held positions with Britain’s national interests. Watch this space.
