Baby joy for Labour leader Miliband

LONDON — The leader of Labour party, Ed Miliband, said he was "absolutely delighted" on Monday at the birth of his second son.

Miliband's partner Justine Thornton gave birth late Sunday at a hospital near the couple's home in north London, a party spokesman said, adding that the baby boy weighed eight pounds and three ounces (3.7 kilograms).

"He's really gorgeous, he looks a bit like me. As I say, we are absolutely delighted," the proud father told reporters.

He added: "We didn't know he would come quite as quickly as he did. Justine did absolutely brilliantly."

Miliband was elected leader of the Labour party in September, beating his older brother David, the former foreign secretary, in a knife-edge vote.

He has the tough job of rebuilding the party after a shattering defeat in May's elections, when Gordon Brown's government was replaced by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition led by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Cameron also had a baby this year -- his wife Samantha gave birth to their fourth child, a girl, while they were on holiday in Cornwall in August.

Miliband and lawyer Thornton, both 40, already have a son -- 18-month-old Daniel -- although the Labour leader is not named on the birth certificate. He said he was "embarrassed" that he had not yet got around to doing it.

The couple are not married although Miliband has said they will wed "at some point". He is expected to take two weeks' paternity leave.