Ed Miliband moves to reassure One Direction over fears he is about to replace them as teenage girls' new obsession
Labour leader says Harry Styles and co 'have nothing to worry about' despite sudden outpouring of passion for him from teenage girls
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ed Miliband has moved to reassure One Direction that he is not about to replace them as teenage girls’ new obsession, despite a sudden outpouring of passion for the Labour leader from smitten teenagers on Twitter.
In one of the more unexpected developments in the election campaign, Mr Miliband has received a splurge of messages from an army of teenage girls calling themselves the Milifandom, who declared the kind of passion normally reserved for pop stars.
Not wanting to upset relations with the boy band, Mr Miliband said: "I think One Direction have got nothing to worry about where I'm concerned.”
He said the Milifandom campaign, which describes itself as “a movement against the distorted media portrayal of Ed,” had “bemused” his wife Justine.
“When I told my wife last night she raised her eyebrows and thought there must be some mistake," he said.
Mr Miliband admitted he was "blushing" to read some of the comments from his new-found fans, protesting: "I wouldn't claim to be cool."
It was started by a 17-year-old called Abby, who started the Milifandom hashtag on Twitter to show her support of the Labour leader.
She also had a pithy message for the haters:
Mr Miliband himself tweeted her a message of support. He was first made aware of the fandom by The Independent, gasping when he was shown a picture of himself mocked up as a topless Poldark.
But Abby's far from alone in her love of the Labour leader:
Are you undecided about who to vote for on 7 May? Are you confused about what the parties stand for and what they are offering? Take this interactive quiz to help you decide who to vote for...
The Milifandom has even spawned @CoolEdMiliband, which shows the would-be Prime Minister in different iconic film roles and as famous people.
And here's Miliband, swooning to the soundtrack of Careless Whisper...
But there's new competition from young Conservatives, who have started the @Cameronettes. Run by a 13-year-old, the Cameronettes want David Cameron to gain the adulation of his political rival.
Earlier this month The Independent found that even Nigel Farage was popular with teenage girls. The Ukip leader was "the best person we've ever met," according to two 14-year-olds who met him in a park in the West Midlands.
There are two weeks until polling day - enjoy this while it lasts.
The Independent has got together with May2015.com to produce a poll of polls that produces the most up-to-date data in as close to real time as is possible.
Click the buttons below to explore how the main parties' fortunes have changed:
All data, polls and graphics are courtesy of May2015.com. Click through for daily analysis, in-depth features and all the data you need. (All historical data used is provided by UK Polling Report)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments