Miliband and Gromit: leader too close to cartoon for comfort

One is a hapless inventor from Wigan whose hare-brained schemes and anthropomorphic dog, Gromit, have made him one of the most cherished figures in British film.

The other is the leader of the British Labour Party. And unkind talk about their similarity has prompted complaints that one is tarnishing the other's public image.

Senior figures at Aardman Animations will voice concern, at a status meeting this week, over the frequency with which their Oscar-winning, cheese-loving, animated hero is compared to Ed Miliband.

The move comes after warnings to Nick Park, Aardman's co-founder, by staff at the Bristol studio last October that Wallace's image risks being damaged by endless comparisons to the Labour leader. Park, so far, remains untroubled by the issue.

Things came to a head again when yet another cartoon appeared in the national press last week - the eighth in the Times to portray Miliband as the inveterate inventor.

The cartoon, by Peter Brookes, showed Gromit pinned against the wall with a boot mark on his back, while Miliband insisted he was "completely relaxed" about criticism from his brother, David. The latest cartoon was published "with continuing apologies to Aardman".

Park, who based Wallace on his old English teacher, last year reassured staff, when asked if he wanted the issue "knocked on the head", that he was flattered by the satirical sketches. But an Aardman spokesman said the issue would be raised again this week, adding: "You have to protect the brand."

Brookes told the Independent on Sunday: "Miliband is being seen as hapless, and that fits the Wallace character."

A spokesman for Miliband declined to comment.

- Independent