The Miliband brothers are friends again, says Ed

Labour leader Ed Miliband today insisted his troubles with his brother David are finally “over” as he revealed he helped him with his conference speech.

Mr Miliband said that he wants his brother to return to his shadow cabinet before the 2015 election but that David currently “doesn’t want to come back”.

The relationship between the Miliband brothers had been strained since Ed beat David in the leadership contest in Manchester two years ago.

The revelation that the two brothers spoke this week about the leader’s speech will reassure Labour supporters still concerned about discord in the party caused by their previous issues.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 today Mr Miliband said: “I talked to David this week before my speech, about my speech about what was going to be in my speech. We talk quite a lot about the issues we face in politics.

“Yes the contest two years ago was a difficult time for us. We’re over it and I think the Labour party is too.”

On the issue of a possible front-bench role for his brother, the Labour leader said: “The position on David is as it has always been ever since I won the leadership, which is that he doesn’t want to come back to the shadow cabinet at the moment. He feels that he is pursuing his own set of projects as part of the Labour party on unemployment and youth unemployment.”

He added: “I’d like him to be back on the front bench at some point and I make no bones about that but frankly that’s a judgment that we can make over the coming years. I don’t think the position is about to change.”

Mr Miliband also said that he believes the number of low-skilled migrants coming into Britain is now too high.

He stressed the importance of dealing with all immigration, including from EU countries, and said that employers must be stopped from favouring low-skilled migrants who they are able to pay less than British workers.