David Miliband pays tribute to late Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks at memorial lecture

Former Foreign Secretary praised the spiritual leader's 'unwavering belief that communities could be, should be, pluralist in perspective yet united in commitment'

Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband has paid tribute to the late Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks as a “patriot and internationalist”, using this year’s memorial lecture to the spiritual and intellectual leader to warn of the need for a renewal of democratic institutions to combat the erosion of the rule of law in today’s world.

In his speech on Thursday night, Miliband, who has served as President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee since 2013, focused on the theme of “Kings, Priests and Prophets: Power and its Missing Guardrails,” drawing on Rabbi Sacks’ reflections on power, leadership and the moral limits of authority.

Citing analysis showing that autocracies now outnumber democracies worldwide for the first time since the end of the Cold War, Miliband warned of the moral, civic and institutional guardrails needed to keep power in check.

“We have, in my view, a dual task in the face of new and powerful forces of impunity: to defend and to create,” Miliband said. “We must defend our inheritance of democratic institutions and the rule of law. But defence on its own is not enough… We need to renew our inheritance for an age when improvisation, agility, innovation are the coin of the realm.”

He set out five areas where such “countervailing power” should be built: devolving greater fiscal and political power away from Westminster; defending independent institutions such as the judiciary, the civil service and public service broadcasting; reforming a social media ecosystem he said rewards outrage over shared facts; expanding deliberative tools such as citizens’ assemblies and participatory budgeting; and reforming the electoral system, with Miliband renewing his support for the Alternative Vote.

While there has been recent speculation relating to the possibility of a political comeback for the former Labour cabinet member under the incoming Burnham administration, the elder Miliband brother did not address the subject during his speech. He paid tribute to the late Chief Rabbi, describing how “today, in times marked by political rupture, economic danger, societal doubt, international flux, we miss Jonathan and his voice sorely. But he still offers us wisdom and guidance, because he left so much inspiration and instruction in his books, speeches and sermons.”

He also reflected warmly on his personal relationship with Rabbi Sacks, recalling their regular meetings in the 1990s when Miliband was Head of Policy for Tony Blair. “I remember vividly Jonathan’s curiosity, patience and kindness. He was a patriot and an internationalist. He was rooted and cosmopolitan. He had an unwavering belief that communities could be, should be, pluralist in perspective yet united in commitment,” he said.

Stuart Roden, a trustee of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy who chaired the lecture, commented: “The Rabbi Sacks Legacy has done some extraordinary work since Rabbi Sacks’ passing in carrying the light of his teachings through a range of exciting and original programmes. The Annual Memorial Lecture invites people who not only had a personal connection to Rabbi Sacks, but who also build on his thinking.”

Gila Sacks, one of Rabbi Sacks’ daughters and a trustee of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy, said David Miliband’s lecture had helped those present “take a step back from the moment we now face, to remember the power we each hold in our hands,” adding that Rabbi Sacks always taught that “history is something we make with our choices, and that we can all choose to make better ones.”