Maajid Nawaz: 'David Miliband Wherefore Art Thou?'

25 February 2017, 13:12 | Updated: 25 February 2017, 18:24

This is Maajid Nawaz's passionate plea For David Miliband to "save the country" and return to the forefront of the Labour party.

Maajid Nawaz is desparate for David Miliband to return to the forefront of the Labour party in order to offer a strong opposition to the Tories.

He said: "The Labour party is dead. Long live the Labour party. We need Her Majesty's opposition. The country needs Her Majesty's opposition. It's not good for anyone for the Labour party to be dead.

"Look what happens in the absence of strong leadership from the Labour party. Theresa May, the Prime Minister, and the Conservatives have no effective opposition to the point when they can even cut disability allowance and no one can do a thing about it.

"They can go for hard Brexit, they can leave the single market, no one can do a thing about it. Now I'm not saying those are good or bad things, I'm saying there needs to be a national debate. 

"The NHS is on its knees. Social care is falling apart. And the Secretary of state for Health...goes on television, and says "there are no excuses for these failures". 

"No excuses for these failures Mr Secretary of Health Mr Hunt? You're the Secretary of Health. If there were no excuses for these failures, then you're the one failing."

He went on: "But of course, in the absence of opposition, nobody can do diddly squat about any of these problems. There is no effective Her Majesty's Opposition."

Maajid added: "And that's why it's so important that what happens next actually happens. This is why what I am about to say is so important. 

"Coming from a non-partisan, I am not a communist, I am no a socialist, I'm none of those things, I recognise the importance of Her Majesty's Opposition, so I am about to say something non-partisan. 

"And that is: David Miliband, please come back to save the country. David Miliband, wherefore art thou? Where are you?"