Don’t underestimate Ed Miliband, David Davis warns Tories

David Davis has sent out a warning to his Conservative colleagues to underestimate Labour leader Ed Miliband at their peril. The Tory backbencher, who was beaten to the leadership in 2005 by David Cameron, told the Hull Daily Mail that just because “the media don’t like him” doesn’t mean Miliband won’t end up prime minister next year.

“The media don’t like him and that translates into people picking up the same attitude. But I’m not as disparaging about Miliband as some. The way to think of this is not to compare him with Cameron; Cameron clearly fills the job well – he sounds like a Prime Minister, he looks like a Prime Minister. He’s an asset.

“The comparison I make is not with Cameron, but with Brown. Who is a better leader for the Labour Party, Miliband or Brown?

“I think Miliband is better than Brown, so we should be a bit wary of just relying on Miliband simply not being good enough.”

David even compares Miliband to Margaret Thatcher, which is just about the highest praise you can get from a Tory MP:

“I’m old enough to remember that when Margaret Thatcher was leader of the opposition she wasn’t very well regarded either – not at all.”