Miliband: Labour 'can win in 2015'

24 May 2014 Last updated at 23:07 Ed Miliband has said his party's local election performance shows it can win at Westminster in 2015.

The Labour leader insisted the party was ahead in its target seats.

The claim came despite complaints from some Labour figures about him personally, and its local election campaign.

While it won more than 330 extra councillors in Thursday's poll, projections suggested Labour only secured a 2% lead over its Tory rivals.

Mr Miliband is due to visit Thurrock where his party lost control of the council after a surge in support for UKIP.

He had hailed the Essex town as evidence Labour was "winning back trust" when it took the town hall last year.

But it was left with no one party in control after UKIP took two Labour and three Tory seats on Thursday.

'Desire for change'

The Thurrock constituency is one of Labour's top target seats for 2015.

Polling data compiled by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft on the voting intentions of 26,000 people in 26 Conservative-Labour battlegrounds suggested there could be an average 6.5% swing from the Conservatives to Labour in these marginal seats.

This would be enough to oust 83 Conservative MPs and secure Labour a healthy Commons majority.

Mr Miliband said he was determined to attract voters "from every walk of life".

"The local elections show Labour can win because it is our party which is winning where it matters in dozens of our target seats for the next election," he said.

"From Cambridge to Redbridge, from Crawley to Amber Valley, people are electing Labour councils to meet their desire for change."

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