5:05PM, Sat Sep 29, 2012

Two Thirds Of Labour Voters Want David Miliband As Leader Instead Of Brother Ed

By Andy Hughes Location: South Shields

Two out of three Labour supporters think South Shields MP David Miliband would be a better leader for the party than his brother Ed, according to a new survey.

The figures suggest Ed Miliband is facing difficulties persuading voters that he is a potential prime minister.

The Conservative party released the findings from the survey of 2,000 voters in an apparent attempt to undermine Mr Miliband's position as Labour delegates gathered for the party's annual conference in Manchester.

Conservative strategists believe the survey reveals doubts about Mr Miliband's leadership which may mean that Labour will not be able to translate its consistent double-digit lead in the polls into actual votes when people go to the ballot box.

Its release appears to indicate that Tories are pinning their hopes on casting the election as a choice - which they are confident they can win - between Mr Miliband and David Cameron as the best national leader.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of those questioned by pollsters Populus agreed that Mr Miliband did not have what it takes to be prime minister in tough economic times, and was too weak to be a credible leader (72%), Tory sources said.

Some 67% said Labour chose the wrong Miliband brother and 51% said they would be more likely to vote Labour if the party had a stronger leader.