'Red Ed' tag must go, say party advisers

LONDON - Ed Miliband's advisers must urgently kill off the new leader's reputation as "Red Ed" if the party is to win back disillusioned former supporters in southern England, say political consultants, senior colleagues and former No 10 insiders.

The 41-year-old from north London remains an unknown quantity to much of the country following his narrow victory in the leadership election.

That presents the party with the scope to tailor his image to the tastes of the public.

But those experienced in shaping the strategies of political figures emphasised that he must first nullify attempts by the Tories to frame him as a throwback to Labour's failed past, and ensure voters are left in no doubt that he is a very different proposition to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The geeky demeanour - endearing to some, unnerving to others - may also have to go, they said.

"He has emotional intelligence and can reach out to people in a way Gordon Brown couldn't," said Paul Richards, a former special adviser to two Cabinet ministers.

"Although he has gone through a gruelling leadership contest, my advice would be that he needs to go through an equally gruelling campaign to reconnect the party with the voters - particularly in the south of England, where we did so badly.

Lance Price, who worked in Downing Street under Tony Blair, added that Miliband needed to ensure he defined himself against failed past leaders. "We know what he's not but not yet what he is," he said. "How does a new generation centre-left politician differ from an old generation one?

"What does he believe in and want to do that Neil Kinnock wouldn't, for example? He needs to act fairly quickly to provide some definition to his leadership before others do it for him."

Jack Straw, the former Cabinet minister who is stepping down from the frontbench, said that Miliband's rapid rise to the top meant he would have to put in the miles just to introduce himself to a sceptical electorate.

"He has just got to get out and around - he is user-friendly and has very good interpersonal skills," said the former Justice Secretary.

"There is a lot of hard work to be done where we lost."

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