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Ed Miliband: ‘It’s always a good idea not to read the newspapers’

By William Turvill

Labour leader Ed Miliband has admitted he does not "read much British news".

Criticising the right-wing press for its "incoherent" attacks on him, Miliband said: "It's always a good idea not to read the newspapers."

In an interview with Buzzfeed, he dismissed articles claiming he is "weird" as attempts by hostile sections of the media to derail his bid to win next year's general election.

Miliband revealed he has made a rule since becoming leader not to pay too much attention to the newspapers, and that does not get them delivered to his home.

Emphasising the importance of "following your own path", he has no TV screens showing rolling 24-hour news channels in his office and instead relies on his aides to summarise current affairs, according to the website.

Miliband instead reads American news aggregator RealClearPolitics and tries to steer clear of Twitter as much as possible.

He told Buzzfeed: "I don't read much British news. You get a lot of advice in the newspapers about what you should do. It's much more important to follow your own path and stick to your own path. I've made that a rule in the last three and a half years."

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But despite his apparent blackout of the British press, Miliband found time to criticise right-wing newspapers which relentlessly attack his leadership.

He said: "Think about the attacks my opponents have been making on me, there's a certain incoherence about their attacks. First of all, they said I was 'Red Ed', then they said I was weak, then they said it was back to the 1970s, and now it's something else.

"Frankly they were saying that (I was weird). The press people who don't like us have been saying that for some time.

"It comes with the territory. I think the heart of this is people think we are in a position to win the election and there are some people who don't want us to win this election."

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