The Spectator

Peter Oborne: Ed Miliband is the most accomplished opposition leader since the war

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In this week’s Spectator podcast, we put a Labour and a Tory supporter next to each other to debate the virtues of Ed Miliband. The difference being that Peter Oborne is a passionate defender of the leader, and Dan Hodges his most vocal critic.

Peter explains to Sebastian Payne that while he is a conservative journalist, his job is to tell the truth, and put political prejudices to one side, which leads him to conclude that Ed Miliband is a man of incredible accomplishment and bravery, whose efficacy is demonstrated by the ferocity of the press backlash against him.

Here’s what Oborne has to say:

I have followed Mr Miliband with growing admiration as Labour leader. I think he has been the greatest leader of the opposition since something like Attlee, I mean certainly since World War Two, in terms of sheer achievement.

The country is screaming out for a conviction politician and “we’ve got one in Ed Miliband”. He adds that he is uncomfortable with the extent that big business is funding the Tories. “If you want a hedge fund manager-run Britain, vote Conservative”.

Dan Hodges, however, is not convinced that he’s done a good job as leader of the opposition:

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But the reality is, whatever Ed Miliband’s qualities are, the primary job of a leader of the opposition is to stop being leader of the opposition and to become Prime Minister, and to maximise your chances of becoming Prime Minister.

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