Labour conference diary: Ed's reshuffle headache

The Labour leader keeps putting off restructuring the shadow cabinet – but he has to shake the tree soon

Thursday's • standing ovation for Andy Burnham makes life more complicated for Miliband strategists who think their health spokesman ought to be moved to a portfolio where he can make fewer waves. Swap him with Yvette Cooper? But busy Burnham's ideas on health and social care are popular, as Ed acknowledged, equivocally. So probably not.

• Ed hates reshuffles and keeps putting one off. But he must shake the tree soon. Current gossip fingers welfare spokesman Liam Byrne, who can't shake off his "I'm afraid that there is no money" note, which fell into the hands of David "Plenty of Money" Laws instead of Liam's pal, Phil "the Undertaker" Hammond.

Good day Harriet Harman. She always makes a funny and rousing speech to wind up the conference, but never gets the credit.

Bad day Billy Hayes. The posties' chief won conference support to renationalise the Royal Mail. But top Miliband sources immediately gave it the thumbs-down.

Labour conference 2013Andy BurnhamEd MilibandLabour conferenceLabourMichael White
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