A senior figure from Tony Blair's government has warned that current Labour leader Ed Miliband has failed to connect with the public and is yet to prove he can take the party back to power or show what he stands for.
Former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith - a close ally of Mr Blair during his time in power - accused Mr Miliband of damaging Labour's prospects by excluding major talents from the Blairite wing of the party from his shadow cabinet.
He named former Cabinet minister James Purnell, who stood down as an MP at the 2010 election, as "potentially a very important figure in the Labour Party" who was not being allowed to contribute.
Lord Goldsmith suggested that Blairites were "standing back" to give Mr Miliband a chance to prove himself, rather than actively supporting his leadership.
Mr Miliband was a member of Gordon Brown's inner circle in the Labour governments, and his victory over brother David in last year's leadership contest was seen by many as a triumph for the Brownites over the Blairites.
Asked on Sky News's Murnaghan programme whether rifts between Labour's warring factions had been overcome, Lord Goldsmith said: "I don't think they have been healed.
"I think people are still standing back, letting Ed Miliband have an opportunity to prove that he can do it, and that at the end of the day is what matters."
When asked whether, after nine months as leader, Mr Miliband still needed to prove himself, Lord Goldsmith said: "Yes, he does. He plainly does."
On the issue of whether the Labour leader was connecting with the public, the former Attorney General said: "He doesn't at the moment. It is not clear what he stands for. He has got time. The elections are a long way away."
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Lord Goldsmith said that the serious question for Labour was "whether Ed Miliband has actually managed to heal the rift between the two sides of the party - the Brown/Blair or whatever it is called today - whether there are enough of the Blair heavy hitters in his shadow cabinet".
