Lord Mandelson tells Miliband: You won't win a majority

The former Labour Business Secretary piles pressure on Miliband to rule out a deal with SNP

The original Tory election poster featuring Alex Salmond and Ed Miliband (Conservative Party/PA)

Ed Miliband will fail to win an overall majority at the election, Lord Mandelson predicted today.

The former Labour business minister is making a habit of unhelpful interventions for the party leadership and one would be forgiven for thinking he doesn’t want Mr Miliband to win.

"The two big parties in British politics have never polled a smaller share of the total vote as they are doing now”, the Blairite told a Retail Week conference.

“Why? Because people basically are unhappy with what's on offer. They are therefore shopping around in politics in a way the large parties are ill-equipped to deal with, which will almost certainly deliver us a statemate hung Parliament in two months' time."

His comments will pile further pressure on Mr Miliband to rule out a coalition with the SNP. He was faced with a barrage of accusations in the Commons today that he would rely on backing from the Scottish nationalists to win the keys to Number 10.

David Cameron referred to a Labour leaflet distributed in Scotland that he claimed proved Labour had given up on their hope of winning a majority and were resigned to the prospect of doing a deal with the Scottish nationalists.

The leaflet reads: “At the general election we need to stop the Tories being the largest party. That’s the only way to stop a Tory government.”

In yet another bruising encounter between the pair at prime minister’s questions today, Mr Cameron said: "I'll tell you what goes to character: someone who is prepared to crawl into Downing Street in alliance with people who want to break up the future of our country.

"What a despicable and weak thing to do: risking our defences, risking our country, risking our United Kingdom. If you had an ounce of courage you would rule it out."

He added: "Their only way into Downing Street is on Alex Salmond's coattails. It is an alliance between the people who want to bankrupt Britain and people who want to break up Britain and the British people will never have it."

Earlier this week the Tories unveiled an election poster showing a miniature Mr Miliband in the jacket pocket of Mr Salmond, who is standing to become an MP and return to Westminster in May.

The Tories unveiled an election poster showing a miniature Ed Miliband in Alex Salmond's top pocket (Conservative Party/PA)

SNP MPs were seen gesturing towards their top pockets every time they and Mr Salmond were mentioned at prime minister’s questions, while backbench Tory MPs accused them of “licking their lips in public” at the prospect of sharing power with Labour.

Responding to Lord Mandelson’s latest intervention, Grant Shapps, the Tory party chairman, said:

Grant Shapps, the Conservative Party chairman, said: "Lord Mandelson knows that Ed Miliband is a weak leader who simply isn't up to the job of being Prime Minister.

"Even Labour have acknowledged that they only way Ed Miliband will get into Downing Street is if he's carried there in Alex Salmond's pocket. That would mean chaos for Britain: more borrowing, higher taxes and weaker defences."