David Miliband on Global Disorder, Labour’s ‘Mistakes’ and Deploying $1 Billion on Crises

In 2007 when he was UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband delivered an address to the Labour Party conference. He described a world with “fewer countries at war” and “more democracies than ever before.”Two decades later, with that vision further from view, Miliband is head of the New York-based International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest aid agencies. Its “Emergency Watchlist” cites 20 urgent crises, from Haiti to Sudan and the Middle East to Myanmar. The group finds itself increasingly constrained by widening conflict and shrinking government aid.The IRC role, however, gave Miliband new purpose after his bid to lead Labour ended in dramatic and personal fashion when in 2010 he lost to his own brother. Now he sees his old friends and rivals back in power, forced to make decisions he finds painful. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Miliband discusses the current state of politics in the UK, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. He talks about Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” and his old boss, former Prime Minister Tony Blair. They also discuss Miliband’s family heritage. 02:30 - His refugee parents and link to work at IRC08:09 - Growing up, democracy “seemed like the norm”08:59 - 2007 speech at Labour Party Conference10:54 - Mark Carney’s 2026 speech at Davos12:49 - “America will no longer be Atlas”13:49 - “More autocracies than democracies in the world today”14:26 - “A revolution in America’s role in the world”15:42 - IRC work on the US-Mexico border17:55 - IRC’s 2026 Emergency Watchlist: Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory18:36 - “Remediation of desperate suffering is our business”19:06 - “If you talk to the people you have hope.”23:31 - Jared Kushner’s plans for Gaza26:21 - Tony Blair and the Board of Peace32:12 - Cuts to foreign aid34:55 - “Challenging period” for UK Labour, Starmer36:06 - Threats from Reform and Andy Burnham39:07 - What next for Miliband?40:28 - Relationship with Hilary Clinton Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Illustration: Uli Knörzer for Bloomberg; Source Photo: Jose Sarmento Matos/BloombergSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.