Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Ed Miliband's cost of shopping crisis*
Ed Miliband had a Gerald Ford moment yesterday when he went on the media as part of his Europeam campaign and made two gaffes in quick succession.
He started off on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, where he claimed that the ‘cost-of-living crisis is the biggest issue that our country faces and I am determined we tackle it’. The Daily Mail takes up the story:
But he was put on the spot about how much it really costs to feed a family of four. Asked about the average weekly household grocery bill, Mr Miliband responded: ‘It depends on how much you are spending.’
Pressed on his own family's bill, Mr Miliband said: ‘We probably spend £70, £80 a week on groceries at least, probably more than that.
‘The point is that different families will have different costs that they face but what I am clear about is that there is a crisis facing so many people.’
But TV presenter Susannah Reid took him to task for appearing out of touch.
She told him: ‘The average weekly bill for a family of four is more than £100. So you are going to be spending significantly more than £70 or £80.
‘People will say one of the problems with politicians is they are actually talking about something but not in touch with reality.’
As if that was not bad enough Mr. Miliband was embarrassed in a live interview for the second time after a regional radio DJ quizzed him on his knowledge of the party’s local council representatives.
The Independent reports that the Labour Leader was campaigning in Wiltshire at the time, yet when asked what he thought of Labour’s leader for Swindon, Jim Grant, he had to admit that he didn’t know who he was:
Despite his apparent lack of awareness of local politics, Mr Miliband then said he felt Cllr Grant was doing a “good job” as leader of Swindon Borough Council – only to have it pointed out that Labour is in fact in the minority there.
Not just out of touch with the country but with his own party.
*With thanks to Elizabeth Adams for the headline
He started off on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, where he claimed that the ‘cost-of-living crisis is the biggest issue that our country faces and I am determined we tackle it’. The Daily Mail takes up the story:
But he was put on the spot about how much it really costs to feed a family of four. Asked about the average weekly household grocery bill, Mr Miliband responded: ‘It depends on how much you are spending.’
Pressed on his own family's bill, Mr Miliband said: ‘We probably spend £70, £80 a week on groceries at least, probably more than that.
‘The point is that different families will have different costs that they face but what I am clear about is that there is a crisis facing so many people.’
But TV presenter Susannah Reid took him to task for appearing out of touch.
She told him: ‘The average weekly bill for a family of four is more than £100. So you are going to be spending significantly more than £70 or £80.
‘People will say one of the problems with politicians is they are actually talking about something but not in touch with reality.’
As if that was not bad enough Mr. Miliband was embarrassed in a live interview for the second time after a regional radio DJ quizzed him on his knowledge of the party’s local council representatives.
The Independent reports that the Labour Leader was campaigning in Wiltshire at the time, yet when asked what he thought of Labour’s leader for Swindon, Jim Grant, he had to admit that he didn’t know who he was:
Despite his apparent lack of awareness of local politics, Mr Miliband then said he felt Cllr Grant was doing a “good job” as leader of Swindon Borough Council – only to have it pointed out that Labour is in fact in the minority there.
Not just out of touch with the country but with his own party.
*With thanks to Elizabeth Adams for the headline
