For some time, fans of Ed Miliband have been declaring that the former leader is hot property once again.

Members of the parliamentary Labour party have been less inclined to shower praise on the man who led the party to defeat in 2015 after changing the Labour leadership contest rules and inadvertently paving the way for Jeremy Corbyn to succeed him.

But recently-elected Labour MP Luke Pollard holds no such grudges. Rather, he has shown that he could give any Milifan a run for their money.

Asked on the Daily Politics if he would like Miliband back in the shadow cabinet, Pollard enthused:

"I would. Ed, since he stood down as leader, has been on fire!

"I love his tweets. Freed from the party machine, he is cutting, he is humorous, he’s got a real way of highlighting poverty and the lack of joined up thinking from this government with humour and a flair that I think would be amazing back on the front bench.

"Bring him back!”

Voters called time on @EstherMcVey1 @joswinson in '15 & welcomed them back in '17. What's it like a making comeback? https://t.co/sDCvzUnQoY — Daily&SundayPolitics (@daily_politics) October 16, 2017

Fortunately for Pollard, the former leader - who recently hosted a pub quiz on the Labour conference fringe - is showing no signs of wanting a quiet life on the backbenches.

In a recent interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson, Miliband was asked about a frontbench return and remarked: "I don’t rule it out – definitely not."

He added: "I’m relatively young by the standards of a member of parliament, I’m 47. So I’m not about to give it all up – I think there is a lot to be fought for actually in the next 10 or 20 years."

Over to you, Jeremy…

Picture credit: Press Association.