As the PPC in Iain Duncan Smith’s constituency, Ed has taught me two important lessons

Ed Miliband has tackled the issue of his perceived image problem. Rather than embarrassingly excuse himself or convince the public he is something he is not, he has embraced his own persona, accepting it in order to extinguish the ongoing media analysis of who he is rather than what he stands for. This move shows courage, political prowess and most of all, it’s set the stage for next year’s election to be about policy rather than personalities.

I cannot tell you how many times I have met people on the doorstep who want to know more about Labour Party policies, have a concern about the future of Britain, but have a hard time when it comes to the presentation by the media of Ed. By talking openly about this issue, Ed has embraced his own image – exuding confidence, and in turn engending peoples’ confidence in him.

Tackling the “showbiz” side of politics will also help political parties re-connect with people. Of course there is an irony that Ed and his team discussed this approach during a photo opportunity. But that’s exactly the point. The nature of political presentation has now gotten to the stage that if there’s no camera to prove it happened, it never did.

I’ve been involved in some pioneering social mobility programmes for over ten years, mostly around developing skills for debating and public speaking with students from disadvantaged backgrounds. What we have always advised students is not to emulate others’ style. It’s uncomfortable for the student, certainly not empowering and most of all disingenuous. It is better to take who you are and present that with integrity and sincerity. Ed is doing the same, and the public will hopefully see that. Of course presentation and photo ops are part of any good campaign – no doubt Ed’s team will and indeed should continue to take advantage of that. But if they aren’t up to Saatchi standards, well, that’s just Ed being Ed.

Most importantly, Ed has implicitly shown why he wants to be Prime Minister. He wants to stand up for all of Britain, but in particular for “the others”. For those who sit less comfortably in the spotlight. He’s making a case for the Davids of this world in face of their Goliaths.

As the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, where the current MP is Iain Duncan Smith, I get a sympathetic smile, and often a chuckle, (even from Labour Party members) when I meet many people and tell them about my campaign. But Ed’s new tact has galvanised me in two ways.

The first is to remind me that people are interested in my ideas about assisting small businesses, making sure young people have access to skills to work and prosper, where to house London and where Britain’s place in the world should be and not how I would look eating a butty. The second is to show remind us that next year’s election will really be an ideological fight over what kind of Britain we live in, and not merely who would get more likes from an Instagram post.