Ed Miliband elected Labour leader

Ed Miliband, has promised to direct his party into a new era of politics after the former Environmental Climate Change secretary was announced as the new labour leader on Saturday.

Mr Miliband narrowly beat his brother David, the long-running favourite for the post

The leadership was won by a margin of 1.3 per cent after the second, third and fourth preference votes had been accounted for.

Speaking to a packed party conference in Manchester, he paid tribute to each of his fellow candidates in turn and told the conference: "Today we draw a line under this contest and move forward united as a team."

The Oxford graduate has had a relatively short time in political office, only joining the cabinet with the climate change portfolio when Gordon Brown moved into number 10 in 2007. He has been an MP for five years, whereas his elder brother David has been an MP since the 2001 General Election.

After graduating with a master’s in economics from the London School of Economics, Ed Miliband became a Labour Party researcher for Harriet Harman and became one of Gordon Brown's closest confidants and eventually chairman of the Treasury's Council of Economic Advisers.

Miliband announced on 14 May that he would stand as a candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party, and was nominated by 62 fellow Labour MPs. The other candidates were Diane Abbott, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and his elder brother David Miliband.

On 23 May, former Labour Leader Neil Kinnock announced that he would endorse Ed Miliband's campaign to become the next Leader, saying that he had "the capacity to inspire people" and that he had "strong values and the ability to 'lift' people".

By 9 June, the deadline for entry into the Labour leadership contest, Miliband had been nominated by just over 24 per cent of Labour MPs, double the amount required.

By September, Mr Miliband had received the support of 6 Trade Unions, including both Unite and UNISON, 151 of the Constituency Labour Parties, three affiliated socialist societies, and half of the Labour MEPs representing the UK in the European Parliament.

He paid tribute to his predecessors Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, but added: "We lost the election and we lost it badly. My message to the country is this: I know we lost trust, I know we lost touch, I know we need to change.

"Today a new generation has taken charge of Labour, a new generation that understands the call to change."

Mr Miliband hugged David after the result was announced.

As leader of the Labour party, he also holds the post of Leader of the Opposition, at the very forefront of the attack against Conservative and Lib Dem MPs in the Commons.

Mr Miliband will also assume task of taking back parliament by winning the next General Election.