Ed Miliband's robotic pieces to camera leave the 'people at home' divided during leaders' debate

'STOP LOOKING AT US, ED. YOU'RE WEIRD,' came the cries from Twitter

Labour aides insist the Tory strategy of portraying Mr Miliband as unfit for the job has failed; he is very much in the game (Press Association)

It was clear from the outset that the seven party leaders had chosen very different methods of conduct during the heated ITV debate on Thursday evening.

David Cameron’s tactic was to inject rhetoric about “the plan” working into every available moment, without ever really explaining what “the plan” actually was. Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru focused her attention on the Welsh vote, Nick Clegg spent a lot of time apologising and Nigel Farage did his best impression of a shouty man in a pub, claiming the politicians around him were “all the same” and appearing to malfunction when anyone mentioned a number.

Ed Miliband’s move was far more theatrical: answer the audience question for a few minutes, pause for dramatic effect, then turn to camera and deliver a heart-felt plea to “the people at home”.

“If I was your Prime Minister…” he’d begin, ending with any number of promises about protecting the NHS, upping the minimum wage and introducing fair immigration control.

But the puppy-eyed stunt left the “people at home” divided – and some mildly disturbed:

Not that it seems to have affected his popularity. A Guardian poll taken after the debate suggested that Miliband had won the contest at 25 per cent. YouGov placed him second with 18 per cent to Cameron’s 29 per cent, while the ICM placed him second at 28 per cent to SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon at 48 per cent.

After his performance, Miliband also tweeted to the "people at home":