Brown gaffe not fatal to Labour election hopes, Miliband insists

Speaking on a whirlwind tour of Yorkshire constituencies yesterday that included a grilling on college radio by teenagers in Pudsey, Leeds, Mr Miliband said his party remained "absolutely determined to win the election" despite Gordon Brown's disastrous blunder on a walkabout in Rochdale.

Asked if the incident – in which Mr Brown derided a Labour voter without realising his microphone was still switched on – will prove fatal for Labour's campaign, Mr Miliband said: "No. This election campaign isn't about one mistake, it's about the next four or five years of this country.

"It was wrong what the Prime Minister said, and it was quite right that he apologised for it – but we've got the whole future of the country at stake."

The Minister even claimed the incident showed the positive side of the Prime Minister's tempestuous character, following his rapid personal apology to pensioner Gillian Duffy.

"I think it shows he's someone who recognises he needs to take responsibility," Mr Miliband said. "He took responsibility immediately – people will appreciate that."

And he denied Mr Brown's description of Mrs Duffy's questions about immigration as "bigoted" illustrated Labour's failure to address a key concern of many of core voters.

"I represent a Labour seat and have spent a lot of time talking about (immigration)," Mr Miliband said. "I think there's an absolute determination to address it in a very clear and open and transparent

way."

On a tour of the impressive 20m Grangefield Maths and Computing College in Pudsey yesterday morning, the Foreign Secretary faced further questions from pupils on the student council and on their college radio station.