Labour’s business battle shows how small its circle of support is

I have never been impressed by round robin letters, so if Ed Miliband had shrugged off the letter to the Daily Telegraph this week signed by 103 businessmen with the words: ‘if they have got something to say why can’t they speak for themselves rather than bleating like a flock of sheep’ he would have gained my respect. If Labour had to counter it with a round robin letter of its own it might at least have tried to find 100 businessmen of its own.

Instead it rustled up a bizarre letter of its own. Complaining about zero hours contracts it declared:  ‘We come from all walks of life, this is what Britain looks like.’

But when you read the signatories below you realise just how small Labour’s circle has become. All walks of North London, it ought to read. There is Susie Orbach, the author of Fat is a Feminist Issue, actor Peter Duncan, ad man Trevor Beattie, fashion designer Wayne Hemingway.