Sometimes the most important political moments happen in a micro-expression. The twitch of an eye, a furrowed brow, an involuntary grimace.

Ed Miliband offered an example of this for the ages during an interview on Good Morning Britain this week. He had come to talk about his plan to cut the link between electricity and gas prices – a crucial development in British energy security. Of course, he was barely asked about any of this. His agenda in the Department for Energy has been overshadowed by the never-ending procedural gibberish of the Peter Mandelson saga.

“I’m not sure what else anyone needed to tell the person at the top of government about this individual that would have made it clear it wasn’t just risky, it was wrong,” host Susanna Reid said to the Energy Secretary. “What else did you need to know at that moment?”

Miliband put his finger under his chin, raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment and then seemed to slide down his chair, as if wishing to disappear into another reality.

“Look,” he said, visibly exhaling, “it’s a fair point. It’s a fair point and he shouldn’t have been appointed. That is right.” It was as if you had watched the precise moment he decided to prioritise his long-term reputation over his short-term popularity in Downing Street.

He wasn’t alone. A briefing on the Cabinet meeting yesterday to the Financial Times sounded like it was describing a funeral: “People had their heads down, looking at the desk. [Keir Starmer] was met with virtual silence.”

This........

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