Ed Miliband plans a new Europe with Francois Hollande

The Labour leader told The Daily Telegraph that the election of Francois Hollande represented “a significant moment” in which the balance of power shifted away from harsh spending cuts towards the policies of the Left. He claimed that Labour had now regained the right to be heard, two years after Gordon Brown was defeated, and urged his party to be “ready” for the Coalition to break up and fight an election. Last weekend, voters angry at harsh public spending cuts ejected the pro-austerity leaders of Greece and France from office, while local council elections in Britain saw both Coalition parties severely punished. Speaking on a train to London after visiting Essex earlier this week, Mr Miliband said he believed there had been “a mood change” among voters, who were increasingly disillusioned with the Coalition’s failed austerity plan. “After two years of government people start to think, ‘you can’t blame the other lot any more,’” he said. Voters punished the Coalition because they felt that "there is austerity and things aren't getting any better".