Ed Miliband resorts to begging as Labour supporters hiss at hacks

As regular readers will be aware, Mr S has tracked the growing hostility toward the press at Labour Party events. Today’s manifesto launch was no different.

The Labour leader took the extraordinary step of pre-butting jeers and boos from audience members toward journalists, by asking them to hear the media out:

‘Now, we’re going to take questions. I just want to say something in advance of these questions. I talked earlier about the kind of country we believe in. And what’s really important in the country we believe in is that we have a press that ask difficult questions and it’s really important that we hear these questions respectfully because it is who we are as a country.’

Needless to say, it did not work and the crowd were soon roughing up a broadcaster who dared to mention the massive spending splurge Labour went on last time they were in power.

By the end of it, even Ed did not seem too keen on the press asking difficult questions.