Ed Miliband, former leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party, has been appointed as the country’s foreign secretary, marking a significant milestone in his political career. The appointment comes nearly a decade after Miliband resigned as Labour leader following the party’s defeat in the 2015 general election.

Miliband’s return to frontline politics has been gradual. After several years outside of government, he re-entered the political arena in 2020 as a member of Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet. He subsequently served as secretary of state for energy security for two years following Labour’s anticipated return to power in 2024, where he focused on advancing the UK’s transition toward a net-zero economy.

The foreign secretary role, one of Britain’s four principal "great offices of state" — alongside the prime minister, chancellor of the exchequer, and home secretary — represents a promotion and reflects renewed confidence in Miliband’s leadership abilities. Upon his appointment, Miliband described the role as a “great honour and privilege,” pledging to strengthen the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union and to maintain its crucial alliance with the United States.

In addition to diplomatic priorities, Miliband emphasized his commitment to addressing global challenges related to justice and equality. He stated his intent to lead efforts on issues that threaten these values both domestically and internationally.

Miliband’s political journey has seen him labeled by critics on the right as an “eco-zealot” and “Red Ed” due to his perceived left-wing economic and environmental policies. Within his own party, his leadership has sometimes been divisive, with Labour’s internal factions occasionally at odds. Earlier speculation that he might be appointed chancellor unsettled financial markets, underscoring the impact of his political positions.

The new role offers Miliband an opportunity to build on and broaden his experience, which has at times been overshadowed by his elder brother David Miliband, himself a former foreign secretary. Ed Miliband has said he is “a pretty resilient guy” who has been underestimated repeatedly and views this appointment as a chance to prove his critics wrong.

Born to Jewish immigrant parents—his father a Marxist academic and his mother an activist—Miliband was raised in a politically engaged household in London, where he was exposed from an early age to left-wing thinkers and debates. He became active in student politics at Oxford University before transitioning into journalism and then rapid advancement within the Labour Party.

His appointment signals a new chapter in his long-standing political career as he takes on the responsibility of representing the UK’s foreign policy interests on the global stage.