The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Voters cannot see Ed Miliband in power

The latest poll highlights the challenges that the Labour leader faces in Liverpool.

By Samira Shackle Published 14 September 2011 9:34

The Times has released its annual pre-conference poll (£), and it shows that Ed Miliband is still failing to command the support of his party.

The headline figures in the Populus poll show Labour holding the lead, with 38 per cent of the vote. The Conservatives are four points behind with 34 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats are on 12.

According to the poll, 63 per cent of the public cannot see Miliband as prime minister. Clearly, nearly a year after becoming Labour leader, Miliband is still struggling to connect with the public

Perhaps more worryingly -- and this is the figure the Times has focused on -- is that 49 per cent of Labour supporters also hold this view, with 22 per cent "strongly" agreeing. On this point, Labour voters are divided, as the other half - 47 per cent - believe that Miliband will be elected.

These figures are not good, and highlight the challenges faced by Miliband at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool this year. In his speech to delegates, he must try to define his leadership. While he has been praised for his reaction to events such as phone-hacking, there is doubt about whether this has reverberated outside the Westminster village, and he has yet to set out a clear programme for his party.

Labour holds the lead in the polls, but this is largely due to a drop in Tory support rather than positive gains. With his personal approval ratings still trailing behind David Cameron and Nick Clegg's, Miliband must convince his own party of his viability as a leader before he can convince the public.

UPDATE: 13.46

I've just had a call from Ed's press office, who are keen to highlight the fact that Ipsos MORI gives Miliband the highest net personal rating of the three leaders. These ratings give Clegg -25, Cameron -12, and Miliband -7. They also point out that this is almost exactly the same as Cameron's ratings after one year as leader, when his net approval was -6, and that Miliband's satisfaction rate of 36 per cent is higher than Cameron's was at any time until October 2007, when he had been leader for two years.

Tags: Ed Miliband Polls

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21 comments

Thu, 2011-09-15 10:39 — Graeme (not verified)

Is The Times doing surveys on public attitudes on Murdoch, his media empire, and his influence on public life?

I suppose not.

Wed, 2011-09-14 10:29 — Mel Davis (not verified)

Well, he is the Labour leader so they had better start seeing him as PM or suffer under Cameron's theatre of of cruelty.

Wed, 2011-09-14 10:37 — A. Cole (not verified)

I remember when he was elected. I jumped for joy as a Conservative voter!

Wed, 2011-09-14 10:39 — tc (not verified)

And why would you quote a poll that Murdoch's Times would use? And actually write an article based on it?!

I find that deeply disturbing.

Wed, 2011-09-14 10:45 — swatantra nandanwar

Well Ed's probably got another year to change peoples perception of him, then Labour may have to ditch him and find someone more electable.
2012 will be the crunch year, following the Winter of Discontent and the London Mayoral Election and the Olympics. If Ken doesn't win it, Ed will be in serious trouble.

Wed, 2011-09-14 11:23 — Mrs,M L Bonwick-Jones (not verified)

Well they do say that opposition never wins elections, it is the Goverment that loses!
Ed Miliband is seen as a someone who is disloyal, jumps on bandwaggons, and has no direction,and points a finger at the goverment hoping that people will be so upset about the cuts that they are making that they will forget who caused the problems in the first place and the fact that Labour will be doing the same things, they will cut £1 less for every pound The Coalition cuts_ The Last Election may have been a good one to lose!
Ed Milibands main problem is his natural confrontational temperament he could create war in a convent, he missed the turn chaos into calm lecture for Leaders!
He also cannot understand why anyone would even want to vote for the party in opposition. But after all that he should not be underestimated, he is brave, even Tony Blair would not have taken on the unions,you can learn how to be a public speaker,you can become less idealistic, you can learn how to deal with the country as a whole, and everything can be reformed, but is Ed Miliband Prime Minister material , I dont thing he will be, he is the house keeper and caretaker and prehaps a great reformer but future prime ministers always have that little sparkle even from the very beginning.

Wed, 2011-09-14 11:34 — Robert Taggart

Only the more loony lefties could possibly imagine this android as prime minister.

Wed, 2011-09-14 11:38 — Nathaniel Myers (not verified)

I don't care anymore... I said this before he was elected, and have been saying it ever since. He is a mediocre intellect, he is a rubbish public speaker, a poor leader and will never (and I mean, NEVER) be our prime minister.

What do you expect, though? He was not able to command the support of he Labour party. He won the election on the vote of the affiliated members, whilst his intellectually, politically and rhetorically superior brother won the vote of Labour party MPs and grass roots members. He should resign now, and give up the charade that he will be leading the Labour party into an election...

Wed, 2011-09-14 11:39 — mike cobley (not verified)

Er, you could hardly say that Clement Attlee was Mr Charisma, yet he led the most forward-looking and progressive government of the last century. As for Ed, fact is that he and his other front bench chums are the fag-end of the Blair-Brown regime, as intellectually and creatively moribund a crew as you could find.

Wed, 2011-09-14 11:51 — Marcus (not verified)

@Robert Taggart - Exactly. The guy is unelectable to all but the staunchest Labourites.

Wed, 2011-09-14 12:46 — Anton Jury (not verified)

If true I sincerely hope that the Labour Party does not make the same mistake that they made by letting Gordon Brown remain as leader/prime minister.

What the Labour Party needs is a New Face but who ?

The Labour Party cannot just wait to see if David Cameron becomes so unpopular because that may back fire on them.

Wed, 2011-09-14 12:48 — Ursula Ackah (not verified)

i visited this website hoping for intelligent insight, not worthless speculation about (worthless) opinion polls

Wed, 2011-09-14 12:58 — kenelm (not verified)

Governments lose elections (if they do). Oppositions don't win them.

Surely this well-worn but true statement is known to everyone. Apart from the Tories who waste their time reading NS.

Whether or not people cannot now imagine Ed Milliband as PM is monumentally stupid and pointless. When and if he becomes PM, then they will get used to the idea.

Wed, 2011-09-14 13:57 — PikeyMikey (not verified)

Sadly, even if he had the most exciting political ideas ever, Ed Milliband just doesn't have the charisma to enthuse electorate and nor does he have the gravitas to be taken seriously. It's not his fault it's just the way he's made, but what is within his grasp is to recognize this and do the right thing by the party and the party faithful.

Wed, 2011-09-14 16:00 — kenelm (not verified)

PikeyMikey - as I said ... well, read it again.

Wed, 2011-09-14 16:32 — frances smith (not verified)

oh i feel so mean, but someones got to do it.

you see that picture attached to this article, if you look at ed milibands photo what do you see?

i see a sulky little boy looking at us all defiantly saying "its not fair you like him better than me".

and maybe that has been the narrative that has driven him this far, rivalry between him and his brother.

but that narrative is not the one that will take him into downing street, so he has to grow up and leave it behind.

Wed, 2011-09-14 16:38 — Freeman2

Robert Taggart writes, 'Only the more loony lefties could possibly imagine this android as prime minister.'

Bob, if you followed politics a bit more closely you'd have noticed that Ed is not left-wing.

Wed, 2011-09-14 16:39 — Acamar (not verified)

Oh Frances, please stop. It is such rubbish.

Wed, 2011-09-14 16:56 — Robert Taggart

@Freeman.
How then do you explain the 'Red Ed' tag ? Also, was it not the union 'barons' (not exactly moderates) who 'handed' him the leadership ?
A. Cole mefears be right !

Wed, 2011-09-14 17:07 — PikeyMikey (not verified)

kenelm, yes I agree that governments lose elections. It appears to me that there is a lack of talent in both the main parties which has led, in part at least, to this current arrangement. Perhaps there has always been a lack of talent in politics but we do seem to be going a particularly fallow patch at the moment.

Wed, 2011-09-14 17:43 — Stuart Eels (not verified)

B. SMALL.

Thank you for your kind words, you have just as many problems as this poor country, with a leader who lives by soundbites and hasn't a clue what he's doing, much like our own. I would say having seen them that your davastated North East Cities leave ours far behind for poverty.

I dread to think what your dear old USAs future is, well I don't actually because it's none of my business much like the UKs situation is none of yours.