Tories fear David Miliband, says PM

Prime Minister David Cameron has said that Labour party leadership candidate David Miliband would be the "most feared" leader out of the five candidates.

Cameron was overheard at a summer party in June saying that he is hoping Ed Miliband, the younger brother of David, would succeed in the leadership election, because he feared David Miliband as a very serious threat for the Tories.

The statement by Cameron could boost the former foreign secretary further into the lead, and give a new twist to election proceedings.

The Miliband brothers are ahead in the opinion polls so far, with market research firm YouGov annoncing that David stands to poll around 37 percent of the total Labour Electoral College while Ed looks set to gain only 29 percent.

However, former energy secretary Ed Miliband could potentially win on second choice votes, as there has been speculation over the likeness of his older brother David to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Ed warned Labour party members about his older brother remaining in the “New Labour comfort zone.”

In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, David Miliband said that the real purpose of the election is not to beat other candidates but to “unite the party to beat David Cameron”. Without any doubt the outcome of the election could be very much influenced by Cameron's statement becoming public, at this tense point before the election.

Political blogger Stephen Tall, editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, agrees with the Tory leader’s statement in an article for the website:

“[David Miliband] started with both the benefits and dis-benefits that comes with being the front-runner.

“On the plus side, his campaign is well-financed, enabling him to mail-shot Labour members early in the campaign; on the downside, he is first in the line of fire from his four opponents, and has to resist the urge to play a safety first campaign which allows him to be portrayed as complacent.”