Miliband operation 'not for his voice'
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.Labour leader Ed Miliband denied today that he was undergoing surgery on his adenoids to make his voice sound more attractive to voters.
Mr Miliband is due to have an operation to remove his adenoids - which lie behind the nose - during Parliament's long break this summer.
But he insisted that the purpose of the procedure was to deal with a condition called sleep apnoea, which causes snoring and disturbed sleep, and not to make his voice less nasal.
Asked during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today whether he expected his voice to be changed by the operation, Mr Miliband said: "I hope not. I'm having this done for medical reasons, because I suffer from sleep apnoea."
Sleep apnoea causes abnormal pauses in breathing up to 30 times an hour during the night.
Sufferers may not notice anything unusual, but can experience fatigue and problems with concentration during the daytime, while partners sharing their bed will be aware of the problem because of snoring and movement in the night.
"Once this was announced, I discovered that a lot of other people seem to suffer from the same condition, who have come up to me with sympathy - and indeed sympathy for my partner."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments