Labour’s weekly conference call between election coordinator Douglas Alexander and the party’s regional organisers has been blighted with negative feedback about Ed Miliband for months. The local party hands report back on issues coming up on the doorstep during canvassing, and Alexander feeds that back to the top. Ed has apparently been the constant complaint, and the regional staff did not mince their words…

Except, well placed Labour sources reveal, someone has put a stop to all that. Guido hears that an official from Labour HQ – at the express behest of Douglas Alexander – rang the regional officers and told them to stop bringing up the criticism of the leader in the calls. Is an ostrich strategy better than no strategy at all?