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Ed Miliband suffered a new blow today as an exclusive poll revealed that he is the most disliked of all the main party leaders.

Research by Ipsos MORI found Mr Miliband arouses more antipathy than any other leader, including Nick Clegg, with some 62 per cent of the public saying they do not like him. His lack of popularity is in striking contrast with the public’s affection for the party he leads, because while only 30 per cent say they like him, 52 per cent like Labour — a huge 22-point gap.

The finding will increase concern among Labour MPs who report that Mr Miliband is increasingly being cited on the doorstep as a liability for Labour. Among Labour party supporters, Mr Miliband splits opinion down the middle, with just 49 per cent of people who intend to vote Labour saying that they like him, while 47 per cent do not.

David Cameron is more liked than other party leaders and is markedly more popular than his party. Some 39 per cent of people like the Prime Minister, while only 33 per cent like the Tory party. Among Conservative supporters, Mr Cameron is liked by an overwhelming 80 per cent.

Liberal Democrat leader Mr Clegg is marginally more liked than Mr Miliband, at 31 per cent, while 57 per cent dislike him. Like Mr Miliband, he is less popular than his party, which 40 per cent like.

Green party leader Natalie Bennett also scores below her party. She is liked by only 28 per cent, while her party is liked by 36 per cent.

Nigel Farage is more popular than Ukip, suggesting that he is an asset to his party. Some 30 per cent like him, while just 25 per cent like Ukip. The party is disliked by 64 per cent of people, making it the least popular of all the parties.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: “It’s Labour’s party brand that is underpinning its vote, even among its own supporters, not the image of its leader.

“Meanwhile, the Conservatives have the opposite problem — one barrier stopping their good economic ratings feeding into votes is simply that the party is even more disliked than it was going into 2010.”

Today’s poll reveals the Liberal Democrat vote is the softest, with 51 per cent of the party’s backers admitting that they may change their minds before polling day.

That compares with just 35 per cent of Conservative supporters, whose vote was most firm. Labour was in between with 42 per cent.

The NHS has slipped in importance to voters, following the easing of the winter A&E crisis. It is still the number one issue, but the proportion citing it as important to their vote has fallen from 45 per cent in February to 38 per cent.

The economy is in second place at 31 per cent, followed by education and migration, both on 25 per cent.