Ed Milliband and PMQs

Ed did well, much better than many, especially his brother’s supporters, expected. David Cameron will get no easy ride.

As for the theme of attacking the removal of child benefit from HRT payers, this was wrong anyway but very wrong for Labour. It is true that the individual tax system makes this unfair in favour of two just sub HRT incomes and to attack this alone demanding modification would have been sound. But to argue that the measure could cause hardship to the top 15% of earners will dismay the grassroots supporters who earn half that level or less. His advisers need to be careful.

If he cozies up to the chattering friends of New Labour, which he was elected not to do, he will leave his working class flank exposed. Cameron’s more liberal and nicer Tories could easily make inroads into Labour’s core vote, just as Macmillan and, for differing reasons, Thatcher did. The prospect of power would then drain from Labour and Ed would become yet another longer serving leader of the Opposition.