Miliband Bids For Votes In Brand's Kitchen

Ed Miliband has told Russell Brand he's not looking for Blair and Obama-style euphoria and if he comes to power "it ain't gonna be like that".

In a much-publicised interview, Mr Miliband attempted to convince the comedian, who has long preached voting is a waste of time, that it is important to put a cross in a box on polling day and that politics can deliver change.

During a 15-minute exchange on Brand's YouTube channel, the Labour leader made his bid to younger voters in what he has called the "most important election of our lifetime".

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The Labour leader said most people were over the Tony Blair, Barack Obama-style euphoria and no longer believed in the idea that one man would come along and "life would totally turn upside down".

Mr Miliband said: "I'm not looking for euphoria.

"You don't want a politician saying vote for me and on day one the world is transformed. It ain't gonna be like that, it ain't gonna be like that.

"Change is hard, change takes time and I'm not being a civil servant, I'm just saying that that is the reality."

In response to Brand's concerns over inequality in society and the power of the banks and big business, the Labour leader said it was one of the key issues the country had to deal with and he was prepared to tackle powerful elites.

He said: "I think this is the central thing that we've got to confront in the country, is who is the country run for. Is it just run for the richest and most powerful or is it run for working people?"

Mr Miliband's visit to Brand's home to record the interview on Monday night became public after a neighbour of the celebrity posted a picture of the Labour leader leaving the London house on Twitter.

On Tuesday, David Cameron dismissed Brand and his Labour opponent as a "joke" and said he didn't have time to "hang out with Russell Brand".

However, despite the criticism, Mr Miliband's decision to do the unorthodox interview appeared to be a shrewd move.

As Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge pointed out, by Wednesday morning, the trailer for the interview alone had been watched more than 200,000 times - the Labour Party's political broadcast, released at the same time, had clocked up only 15,000 views.

The interview for Brand's show The Trews - true news - was broadcast as part of politics week and Brand said a further interview with the Green Party's Natalie Bennett and Caroline Lucas would follow.

Mr Miliband said it was possible to stand up to "powerful forces" and said he would reform the banks, take on the energy companies and the tax avoiders.

But he added it had been right to bail out the banks to the tune of £850bn in 2008 and added: "It wasn't about the banks, it was about ordinary people's savings."

At the end of the interview Brand said: "I think we learnt a lot about Labour, we learnt a lot about Ed Miliband.

"It's not a perfect interview but personally I found it a very interesting experience.

"I think it says a lot about Ed Miliband, he understands the way the media works right now, the way the country feels at the moment, the way that people feel, that he was prepared to come round here and talk to us."

And it appeared as though Mr Miliband had convinced the man who once told the country "don't bother voting" as he nodded in agreement towards the end of the exchange when the Labour leader said people should be encouraged to vote.