Sunday, March 15, 2015
Labour shadow cabinet members say 'miserable Miliband' cannot win
The Sunday Times has more bad news for Ed Miliband this morning with the revelation that a third of his shadow cabinet do not believe that he can win on 7th May.
The paper says that seven senior Labour figures have privately voiced doubts that Mr. Miliband will even lead the largest party after the election on May 7. Shadow ministers said his rhetoric was too negative and failed to appeal to aspirational voters. And they warned that the potential loss of more than 20 seats in Scotland had left them staring defeat in the face:
One member of the shadow cabinet said: “I struggle to see how we beat them. Given we’re not six or seven points ahead now, a majority is out of the question. The message is too miserable. It doesn’t do what we need to do to win. Our support is very soft on the doorstep. It’s not enthusiastic enough.”
Another frontbencher said: “I think the Tories are going to win outright. They will definitely be the biggest party.”
They add that Labour MPs say the Labour party's economic message, which is directed primarily at the poorest, does not appeal to many voters in the marginal seats Miliband needs to win to form a government:
One shadow minister said: “Talking about the minimum wage and zero hours contracts works with voters in the northwest, but it doesn’t speak to aspirational voters in the Midlands. I would like it if we could just say something that surprises people. We can’t just be the party of the liberal left and the very poor.”
Another added: “The fear is if the polls are right and the Tories have opened up a bit of a lead then a well-received budget could see them go five or six points ahead — which would be enough for them to be the largest party.”
Shadow cabinet ministers are also storing up funds in case of a second election because they do not think Labour can form a stable coalition.
One said: “I had enough to fight this campaign a while ago but I’ve raised a bit more and I’m not going to spend everything. You never know, we might have to do it all over again in a few months.” Another said Labour was not doing anything to excite voters. “It is as flat as a pancake on all sides,” he said. “You struggle to find anything to get excited about.”
When Miliband is having to fight his own shadow ministers so close to the election then you know that he is in trouble.
The paper says that seven senior Labour figures have privately voiced doubts that Mr. Miliband will even lead the largest party after the election on May 7. Shadow ministers said his rhetoric was too negative and failed to appeal to aspirational voters. And they warned that the potential loss of more than 20 seats in Scotland had left them staring defeat in the face:
One member of the shadow cabinet said: “I struggle to see how we beat them. Given we’re not six or seven points ahead now, a majority is out of the question. The message is too miserable. It doesn’t do what we need to do to win. Our support is very soft on the doorstep. It’s not enthusiastic enough.”
Another frontbencher said: “I think the Tories are going to win outright. They will definitely be the biggest party.”
They add that Labour MPs say the Labour party's economic message, which is directed primarily at the poorest, does not appeal to many voters in the marginal seats Miliband needs to win to form a government:
One shadow minister said: “Talking about the minimum wage and zero hours contracts works with voters in the northwest, but it doesn’t speak to aspirational voters in the Midlands. I would like it if we could just say something that surprises people. We can’t just be the party of the liberal left and the very poor.”
Another added: “The fear is if the polls are right and the Tories have opened up a bit of a lead then a well-received budget could see them go five or six points ahead — which would be enough for them to be the largest party.”
Shadow cabinet ministers are also storing up funds in case of a second election because they do not think Labour can form a stable coalition.
One said: “I had enough to fight this campaign a while ago but I’ve raised a bit more and I’m not going to spend everything. You never know, we might have to do it all over again in a few months.” Another said Labour was not doing anything to excite voters. “It is as flat as a pancake on all sides,” he said. “You struggle to find anything to get excited about.”
When Miliband is having to fight his own shadow ministers so close to the election then you know that he is in trouble.
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
<< Home
