Nigel Farage could be allowed to participate in the televised election debates, one of Ed Miliband's closest advisers has said.
Speaking exclusively to The Huffington Post UK, Stewart Wood, the peer who masterminded Miliband's leadership campaign, acknowledged Ukip posed a threat to the party and suggested Labour could back an in/out EU referendum.
Asked about the TV debates, Wood, a key figure in Miliband's inner-circle, said: "I think that Farage has become a major figure in our politics, whether you like it or not. My personal view is I wouldn’t have a blanket ban, no."
Despite referring to Ukip as a "very right-wing" party, Wood said Labour could not afford to ignore its recent surge in support.
"I think we should take Ukip very seriously, not just as an issue in Labour seats, but as the main vehicle at the moment for the 'plague on all your houses' sentiment from the British public," he said.
And he hit out at the prime minister over reports that the Conservatives may try and dodge or move the debates. "I don’t quite see how David Cameron, who was so passionate about having them last time, can refuse them this time," he said.
Ukip, as well as the Conservatives, are likely to use Labour's current refusal to back an in/out referendum on the EU in the 2015 campaign - and Wood conceded that Miliband may decide to support a vote on the UK's membership.
Speaking exclusively to The Huffington Post UK, Stewart Wood, the peer who masterminded Miliband's leadership campaign, acknowledged Ukip posed a threat to the party and suggested Labour could back an in/out EU referendum.
Despite referring to Ukip as a "very right-wing" party, Wood said Labour could not afford to ignore its recent surge in support.
"I think we should take Ukip very seriously, not just as an issue in Labour seats, but as the main vehicle at the moment for the 'plague on all your houses' sentiment from the British public," he said.
And he hit out at the prime minister over reports that the Conservatives may try and dodge or move the debates. "I don’t quite see how David Cameron, who was so passionate about having them last time, can refuse them this time," he said.
Ukip, as well as the Conservatives, are likely to use Labour's current refusal to back an in/out referendum on the EU in the 2015 campaign - and Wood conceded that Miliband may decide to support a vote on the UK's membership.
