"Ed Miliband must go, say Labour MPs"

Labour MPs say Ed Miliband is costing them votes and must stand down while Gordon Brown's former spin doctor says the 'mood is pretty black'



Ed Miliband has been forced to deny he will resign after facing open calls from his own MPs to stand down amid growing concerns that he will cost his party the General Election.

At least two MPs are understood to have told David Watts, the chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, that they believe it is time for Mr Miliband to go.

However, Mr Miliband said: "This is nonsense, I don't accept that this matter arises. I believe that what the party wants to focus on is the country."

One of the MPs told The Telegraph : "We are down to 29 per cent in the polls and that could go down further. He is less popular than Nick Clegg and he will cost us votes at the General Election.

"We are hearing it on the doorstep. People are saying 'you are doing an alright job but we don't like your leader'. He is costing me votes."

Mr Watts has reportedly told the MPs that they are not the first to raise concerns about Mr Miliband's leadership with him, but said that there is no alternative candidate for the leadership. Mr Watts declined to comment when contacted by The Telegraph.

It came as Damian McBride, Gordon Brown's former spin doctor, said that Labour is "whistling in the wind" if it thinks that it can win round voters to "the real Ed".

He told BBC One's Daily Politics: "He can't do much about the fact he comes from Hampstead but he can do something about the fact that he's constantly acting as though life revolves around what goes on in Hampstead and that there's no sense of getting out there and understanding what ordinary people are feeling, including about himself, and trying to address that personal problem he's got."

Asked if he gave credence to claims about a letter being circulated among backbenchers, he replied: "I don't know and it's difficult to know because the paranoia that comes out of the Miliband camp is so rank that they will invent plots even when there are none.

"But I think the mood is pretty black in Labour, and certainly since the conference. Since party conference the mood has got blacker and these are wild times."

IMHO Miliband is about as much use as a chocolate fire-guard and about half as intelligent.

I certainly wouldn't vote for him, but I suspect he'll still be our next PM.

It's not just Miliband though, the whole Labour Party is rotten to the core.

It's still the party of Gordon Brown, financial incompetence, EU expansion, big business, corrupt bankers, privately funded schools and hospitals, ATOS Healthcare, Iraq invasions and Trident missiles.

Nothing has changed since the last election.

Replacing its leader will just be putting lipstick on a pig.

Ed Miliband in new crisis as senior Labour MPs back a leadership change



Ed Miliband’s Labour party leadership was plunged into fresh crisis as senior Labour MPs revealed that at least 20 shadow ministers were on the brink of calling for him to stand down.

The frontbenchers are willing to go public with their demand if the former home secretary, Alan Johnson, indicates that he would be prepared to step into the breach, should Labour be left leaderless just months from a general election. The senior status of the potential rebels and their numbers represent another grievous blow to Miliband’s authority, after attempts by his aides to minimise the extent of dissatisfaction in the party.

The rebels are drawn from across the political spectrum within the party and say they are airing their discontent in response to attempts by Miliband’s aides to belittle the depth and reach of unhappiness among his MPs.

Three senior Labour MPs contacted the Observer on Saturday to confirm that the frontbenchers were ready to strike. One said: “It has reached critical mass now.” Another said: “There isn’t a letter [demanding Miliband’s resignation] but there could be one very quickly.” A third said: “There is a significant number of frontbenchers who are concerned about Ed’s leadership – or lack of leadership – and would be ready to support someone who is a viable candidate. Alan is that candidate. If Alan indicated he would do it, there would be a massive move”.

The development comes as an Opinium/Observer poll suggests that, for the first time, less than half of Labour voters (49%) approve of Miliband’s leadership – although the party is on 32%, still ahead of the Tories by three points.

The Observer understands that senior MPs have been taking soundings through the last week about the prospect of removing Miliband just six months before the 2015 general election.

The ringleaders of the prospective coup have collected 20 names of frontbench colleagues – about one-fifth of shadow ministers – who expressed concern at the seriousness of the party’s plight and would act if Johnson offered any encouragement. They believe others would also support the move.

"Dead man walking!"