Be that as it may, Balls used all the tact and loyalty at his disposal to mask his difficult relationship with the party leader. While he has never publicly criticised Miliband, he admits now that he had serious doubts about accepting the role of shadow chancellor when Johnson stood down. ‘I was pretty frustrated not to be shadow chancellor in 2010… When [Ed Miliband] asked me to do it in 2011, I said to him, “Are you sure you want me to do it? Because if you are sure, then I will.”