Ed Miliband's nose op 'a success'

Labour leader Ed Miliband has had a successful operation to deal with the condition sleep apnoea, his office said.

The hour-long NHS operation was performed at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in central London.

Mr Miliband revealed in April that he suffered from sleep apnoea, which interrupts breathing during sleep, made worse by a deviated septum in his nose.

Sources close to the Labour leader dismissed media speculation that he was hoping the operation would make his voice less nasal. One source who spoke to him after the op said he sounded "exactly the same". His spokeswoman said: "He is recovering for a few days before going on holiday with his family."

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a respiratory condition in which the throat repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep, stopping air getting into the lungs and momentarily waking the person up.

Symptoms include heavy snoring and day-time fatigue. Celebrity sufferers include comedian Billy Connolly and actor William Shatner.

A Labour source said the operation to correct Mr Miliband's deviated septum was "absolutely not" intended to alter his voice.