4 Aug 2014

Labour defends Miliband message left at WWI ceremony

Prime Minister David Cameron leaves a personal message with his wreath commemorating world war one, but Labour says Ed Miliband was not given the chance to write a personal message.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Ed Miliband were among the Commonwealth leaders to pay their respects at a world war one commemoration ceremony in Glasgow, leaving messages with the wreaths they laid – although in somewhat different styles.

Channel 4 News Reporter Ciaran Jenkins was there to witness Scottish pipers and marching soldiers paint an evocative scene (see below) and took photos of the two contrasting messages.

Miliband has drawn criticism for the message, although LabourList, an independent grassroots Labour organisation, said Miliband was handed the wreath moments before he went to lay it down.

A Labour spokeswoman told Channel 4 News: “Ed Miliband was not given the opportunity to write a personal message on the wreath. He was only handed it seconds before he had to lay it out”.

Other leaders were also reported to have had little chance to leave personal messages: the handwriting on Nick Clegg’s wreath also appeared to resemble Mr Miliband’s, according to reports.