VIDEO: Labour leader Miliband’s New Year message

Mr Miliband, the Doncaster North MP, has signalled his determination to keep up the pressure on the Government over the squeeze on living standards.

That’s despite growing signs the economy is beginning to pick up strength.

VIDEO: Press the play button to watch his New Year’s message.

In his New Year message, he highlighted the plight of families still struggling to make ends meet in what he called the ‘biggest cost-of-living crisis in a generation’.

He sought to counter the increasing optimism of the Conservatives about the state of the economy by accusing them of ignoring the fact many people were still no better off.

He said: “We are in the midst of the biggest cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

“Whether it’s people unable to afford the weekly shop or worried about the gas and electric bill .

“People are thinking they have made the sacrifices – and the Government keeps telling them everything is fixed. But it does not seem fixed to them. Surely we can do better than this as a country.

“The Tories want to change the conversation from the cost of living crisis.

“Inherent in their vision is not a solution to the cost of living crisis, but the problem.”

While his message suggests Labour have no plans to change their line of attack against the Tories, Mr Miliband insisted he was offering a ‘much more optimistic vision’ for the future.

He said the party would use the coming year to show how it would make ‘big changes’ to the economy to enable the country to ‘earn and grow our way to a higher standard of living for people’.