Schools secretary Ed Balls launched the Labour Party’s East Midlands manifesto on Monday at a city factory.

The man who many say has ambitions to be Prime Minister arrived in a humble Ford Focus – the era of austerity has already begun.

Before mounting a serious challenge to be a future occupier of Number 10 – and a smart new chauffeur-driven Jaguar – he might want to work on his image.

As he slowly walked up the steps while snappers snapped away, a local Labour councillor turned to her friend inside and said: “Which one is Ed Balls?”

You might also like:

  • A week in review – elected mayoral edition
    The Lord Mayor admired the young couple sitting before him. Richard and Stacie Newton were being given the prestigious honoured citizens award on Tuesday afternoon for their part in helping to clos...
  • Roadmap to recovery?
    Tory party big beast dropped into the Leicester Mercury on Tuesday afternoon. But it was the call to our office before his arrival that puzzled us. "Hello could you help us out," his press assis...
  • A Forse to be reckoned with?
    As questions go, perhaps it was a low blow. While interviewing Green party mayoral candidate Geoff Forse over the telephone yesterday I was glancing through his party's press release on his candida...