Ed Miliband 'more unpopular than Nick Clegg'

Published on Monday 20 June 2011 18:58

LABOUR leader Ed Miliband suffered a fresh blow last night when an ICM poll revealed that he was even more unpopular than Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, despite his party being ahead in the polls.

The poll of 1,000 adults taken between 17 and 19 June gave Mr Miliband a rating of minus 21, down eight points since March and a point behind Mr Clegg, who has been under fire over cuts and student tuition fees.

Prime Minister David Cameron hit a new low of minus five, but was still 16 points ahead of his rivals.

The result comes after internal criticism that Mr Miliband, who beat his brother David in last year's leadership contest despite polling lower among MPs and party members, is not managing to land any punches. There are concerns he is not making ground at a time of major U-turns on health and justice by the coalition. Labour is also struggling to stay ahead in the polls, with 39 per cent, just two points ahead of the Tories on 37.