Mandelson calls for more policy from Miliband and fewer jokes

Lord Mandelson said the deterioration in Labour’s polling position pre-dated Mr Miliband’s leadership of the party.

The former Labour Business Secretary told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “I think that what Ed Miliband needs to do... look he’s a chap with views, he has a position in politics and he has a project, that needs to take shape, become better defined during the course of the coming year. It’s not New Labour, he’s perfectly clear about that, but then he would say the circumstances and the conditions in Britain are not the same as they were when we were creating New Labour in the 1990s.”

Talking about the changing economic circumstances in Britain, he added: “He (Miliband) believes that we need a different sort of social contract. Now there are dangers in developing that, but he has to navigate his way through and I think 2012 is the year to do that.”

In a reference to Mr Miliband’s performances in the Commons, he said: “I think from Labour we want to see more definition of what the new project is all about – perhaps more policy and fewer jokes at Prime Minister’s questions.”

The comments came as a poll showed David Cameron’s stance over the eurozone treaty opened up a six-point Tory lead over Labour.

The 40 per cent to 34 per cent gap is among the biggest since the immediate aftermath of the 2010 General Election and marks the highest Tory approval rating for more than 18 months.

The Liberal Democrats, whose MPs abstained in protest at what they saw as a damaging outcome to single currency crisis talks, were unchanged on 14 per cent in the ICM/Sunday Telegraph poll.