Miliband nose goes under the knife in effort to stop snoring

Good news for Justine, wife of Ed Miliband. Quieter nights are in prospect in the Miliband family home after the Labour leader underwent a successful operation on his nose to correct a breathing problem.

Mr Miliband suffers from a condition in which the throat narrows or closes during sleep, preventing air from getting into the lungs, causing the person to repeatedly wake up for an instant.

As symptoms of sleep apnoea – aggravated in his case by a deviated septum – include heavy snoring and restlessness, the person most likely to notice the difference is Mr Miliband's new wife, Justine.

The hour-long NHS procedure took place at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in central London.

A Labour source denied suggestions that part of the intention of the operation was to make him sound less "bunged-up". He said: "I've spoken to him since the operation and his voice sounds exactly the same."

Mr Miliband will spend the next few days recovering before going on holiday with his wife and their two children for a fortnight's break in Devon.