Labour’s confusion is the Tories’ advantage

Today’s polls make grim reading for Labour. Even three months ago senior Labour or Tory people wouldn’t have thought that the Tories would be five points ahead at this point in the cycle.

Part of Labour’s problem is that its positions require too much explanation. As one Number 10 source jokes, ‘Ed Miliband can do a Rubik’s cube in less time than it takes him to explain his position on the cuts.’

A prime example of these overly complicated policy positions is Labour’s approach to the benefit cap. The leadership says that it is in favour of a cap in principle but against this one in practice. But, I suspect that, all the public will see is Labour voting against stopping a household where no one works receiving more than £26,000 in benefits. Sunday Politics panelist Janan Ganesh points out that the cap is extremely popular with the electorate, if anything they would like it to be set at a lower level.