Man who posted video of ex-Labour leader’s act of kindness on Facebook said it showed ‘common decency goes a long way’

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband has been praised for setting a good example after he was filmed giving a rough sleeper a £10 note.

Miliband handed over the money outside Kentish Town tube station in north London, where the young man was begging.

A video of the incident was circulated on Facebook by 18-year-old Rob Braban. He said he and his friends asked Miliband to make the contribution after they had bought food and water for the man.

“You’re a good man, Ed,” Braban is heard telling Miliband after the former Labour leader made the donation.

In a Facebook posting sharing the video he said: “I think Ed is setting a good example here for other MPs and human beings to follow. Share this around to show that common decency goes a long way.”

The video shows Miliband chatting to the unnamed rough sleeper, who was holding a cardboard sign saying: “Smile, it’s good for the soul.”

Miliband, who lives in upmarket Dartmouth Park near the station – asked where the man had lived before he became homeless. He replied that he had lived in a hostel in Camden and in private rented accommodation before he was forced to leave after losing his job.

“Private landlords are an absolute nightmare,” Miliband was heard to say while searching his pockets for loose change.

Braban suggested he use the cashpoint on other side of the street. When Miliband returned, he handed the man a £10 note. Braban then praised him and shook his hand.

The encounter contrasts with the criticism Miliband faced in November 2014 when he was photographed appearing to donate just 2p to a homeless woman. It later emerged that the coin was the last in a number of coins that Miliband gave the woman.