Ed Miliband becomes first British political leader of a major party to be living with his family out of wedlock
A very modern couple: Ed Miliband and his partner Justine Thornton
As the son of a North London Marxist intellectual, you might expect Ed Miliband to have a less than conventional approach to traditional family values.
And the birth certificate of his 15-month-old son, Daniel, would appear to bear this out, as it includes everything except any mention of the boy’s proud father.
Although the section headed ‘Father’ is blank, Daniel’s mother Justine Thornton is named, along with her Manchester birthplace and profession, barrister.
Daniel was born on June 2 last year and the birth certificate was signed by Justine in Camden, near the couple’s London home, five weeks later on July 9.
There is no suggestion that Ed Miliband is not Daniel’s father and when asked why his name is not on the register, a spokeswoman for the new Labour leader suggested he simply had not had time to fill in the form.
This is not the only unusual aspect of his private life, as Mr Miliband is also the first leader of a major British political party to be living with his family out of wedlock. He and Justine, who will give birth to the couple’s second child in little over a month, are not married.
Mr Miliband says: ‘We’ll get round to it at some point, but I don’t think people would mind if we didn’t.’
But the couple’s relaxed stance on marriage stands in contrast to David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s ultra-traditional set-up.
It also reflects the changing attitude of voters; in past generations, being part of an unmarried couple would have been regarded as electoral suicide. Previous party leaders have either been married or, as with Edward Heath, resolutely single.
Ed and Justine, who met five years ago, live in London’s Primrose Hill, close to both brother David and the large family home in which the boys grew up. The bohemian area is popular with actors, musicians and affluent Left-wingers: leading socialist thinkers frequently visited the Miliband home to talk politics with their father, Ralph.
Ed has described Justine as ‘brilliant’ for bearing most of the burden of looking after their son while he pursues his political career.
Coming just weeks after the birth of David Cameron’s fourth child Florence last month, the arrival of the Milibands’ second child in November will be the first time in history that the Prime Minister and Opposition leader have had babies so close together.
Ms Thornton, 39, had an unusual career start, as a child actress who starred in the ITV children’s series Dramarama during the Eighties.
Her adult career has been more conventional: like both Cherie Blair and Miriam Clegg, she is a high-flying lawyer. But the Cambridge-educated barrister, who specialises in environment law, has had less time than David Miliband’s wife to adjust to the prospect of becoming a party leader’s consort as it has been only a few weeks since the polls started turning in Ed’s favour.
Now Ms Thornton will feel the full glare of media interest in her style, behaviour and pronouncements. Some observers have already paid her the mixed compliment of calling her a ‘more demure and thoughtful version of Cherie’.
Her first brush with the political limelight came a year ago when she was barred from working on Government contracts after it emerged that she had been retained by the energy company E.On at a time when it was seeking to win the right to build a series of new power stations worth more than £20 billion while Ed was Climate Change Secretary.
He had not excused himself from the meetings at which the deals were discussed, although there was never any suggestion of impropriety.
She is highly regarded professionally, with the barristers’ bible Chambers describing her as ‘intelligent, thorough, enthusiastic and pleasant’ and ‘hard-working, bright and knowledgeable’.
Ms Thornton was a senior associate at Allen & Overy international law firm before moving to the 39 Essex Street chambers. She is a member of the Attorney General’s Freedom Of Information Act panel, overseeing the operation of the Act that has led to revelations including the scandal of MPs’ expenses.
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