Election campaign chief shrugs off critical articles in rightwing press but does not rule out potential alliance with SNP

The head of Labour’s election campaign has rubbished criticism of Ed Miliband in rightwing newspapers this weekend and warned against listening to the “agenda of the newspapers”.

Douglas Alexander, also the shadow foreign secretary, claims the party is on course for victory in May’s election, but he also declined to rule out doing a deal with the Scottish National party if Labour fails to win a majority.

Polls suggest Labour’s lead has narrowed since the beginning of the year, but a YouGov survey in the Sunday Times showed the party still three points ahead. The main new criticism of Miliband came from Stefano Pessina, the billionaire Monaco-based executive chairman of Boots, who said in the Telegraph Miliband would be a “catastrophe” as prime minister, without elaborating on which policies he disagreed with.

Labour rules out ‘negative’ election campaign posters Read more

In the Mail on Sunday, Jason Cowley, the editor of the left-leaning New Statesman, renewed previous criticisms of Miliband as unfit to be leader and more suited to academia, while Labour donor John Mills also repeated his reservations about the mansion tax.

Mills also echoed the former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn’s warnings about the party retreating to its comfort zone on the NHS, saying there should be a mix of public and private provision. But having seen the article, Mills released a statement saying it was “pure mischief-making” as he had done his “damnedest to be as supportive as possible” of Labour in his conversation with the reporter.

“I have always supported heavier taxes on high-value properties, and I told the reporter this, although it is true that I have gone on record to say that I think that widening the council tax bands is a better way of doing it than having a mansion tax.

“As regards the NHS, my view is one of considerable sympathy with both Alan Milburn and Andy Burnham. Clearly the NHS both needs more money and to consider every reasonable way of improving efficiency.

“I am well aware of the vulnerableness of my position to being used to provide highly selective and misleading quotes like the one in the Mail on Sunday this morning but unfortunately there is a limit to the extent to which this sort of thing can be avoided, however hard I try.”

Meanwhile, the Sun on Sunday carried an article by Damian McBride, the former Labour spin doctor, who has also previously been negative about Miliband, saying people do not see much strength when they look at him.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Alexander said: “Honestly, it is rubbish. It tells you much more about the agenda of the newspapers than it tells you about the agenda of Ed Miliband and the Labour party. I’ll tell you what’s going on. We’re doing well, we’re going on to victory.”

This weekend, Alexander also announced Labour will run a positive general election campaign that steers clear of any “negative personalised adverts” about David Cameron. He has made the decision despite the Conservatives’ new poster showing Miliband next to former SNP leader Alex Salmond and Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams, suggesting that they could form a coalition after May.

Alexander declined to rule out a deal with the SNP if Miliband fails to win a majority. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, has indicated she is prepared to do a deal with Labour but would demand an end to austerity, more powers for the Scottish parliament, and the scrapping of Trident.

Ed Miliband calls for press to report ‘issues not cynicism’ in general election Read more

Alexander avoided talking about possible red lines in a coalition, saying any talk of this just benefits the Conservatives and the SNP. However, he made clear he would not be prepared to compromise on the issue of Trident.

“As a prospective foreign secretary in an incoming Labour government, the responsibility of defending this country is not something that is the subject of simply trading away interests one way or the other,” he said. “Let her play that game. My responsibility is to work to deliver a Labour government. The responsibility of a Labour government would be to keep this country safe. Our position on Trident is very clear. I am not changing it.”

Alexander also suggested that what Sturgeon may really want is a Conservative government because that could produce an in-out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU and increase the likelihood of another Scottish independence referendum.

Miliband himself has also dodged the question of a post-election deal with the SNP, but Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, has appeared to rule this out. Recent polls in Scotland have indicated the SNP could take dozens of seats from Labour following a surge in support in the aftermath of the Scottish independence referendum.

Lord Ashcroft, the Tory peer and pollster, is expected to release detailed data later this week that will show the SNP ahead in many constituencies. Ashcroft told Sky News last week that the rise in support for the SNP in Scotland “is real”.