General Election 2015: 'I'm no Tony Blair and I'm not looking for euphoria' - Ed Miliband's message to Russell Brand

Labour leader plays down expectations of major change if he becomes Prime Minister

Russell Brand interviews Ed Miliband for his YouTube channel The Trews

Don’t expect major changes if Ed Miliband comes to power. That’s not the radical Greens talking; that’s the Labour leader himself.

In an interview with comedian Russell Brand, Miliband played down expectations by declaring: “I’m not looking for euphoria.”

Brand said the euphoria surrounding the likes of Tony Blair and Barack Obama had only led to disappointment and had led to a cynicism over the ability of one man or woman to make a significant difference.

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

Defending his decision to be interviewed by Brand, Miliband declared he will “engage with anyone” in his bid to persuade people to vote in the General Election.

He batted away criticism that it did not look Prime Ministerial to give a 35-minute interview to a celebrity who actively urges people not to vote and who once abused the granddaughter of Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs live on radio.

David Cameron dismissed Brand as “a joke” but Miliband said it was important to face the “shocking fact” that seven million people had failed to register to vote for this election.

"You’ve got millions more people who may well note vote who are not watching, frankly, who are not watching, not listening and are planning not to vote and therefore I will do anything and engage with anyone to try and persuade people to vote.

"Russell Brand is somebody who has in the past expressed the view that voting doesn’t change anything; I believe voting is the thing that changes thing. Look at the history.

"As I said in the interview with him, as you’ll see when it eventually comes out, I said to him, ‘think about the change that have happened in our country – the NHS, workers’ rights, the minimum wage, rights for gay and lesbian people’. Now here’s the thing, they happened because of a combination of leaders - but not just leaders, leaders and movements and people – that’s how change happens."

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