Ed Miliband has long been considered the Conservatives’ main electoral asset. Certainly, Simon Danczuk touched a nerve when he described his party leader as a liability only a fortnight ago. But as the election nears, is the Labour leader beginning to turn his personal fortunes around?
Polling from YouGov shows a fascinating trend. Voter approval of Miliband’s performance as Labour leader has improved from a dire state in late-November last year, at net -56%, to the most recent level of -26% last week.
With the election campaign underway, a significant chunk of the electorate appear to have given the Labour leader a second look. Indeed, his net approval rating improved by 10 points after the “hell, yes!” interview with Jeremy Paxman, and then by another 3 points after the seven-way leaders’ debate last week. Thursday’s challengers’ clash may be more tricky, but the trajectory of public opinion justifies David Cameron’s hesitancy to sign-up to head-to-head showdowns with his opposite number.
Of course, by no means has Ed Miliband captured the hearts and minds of the British public.
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