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Miliband faces threat of mutiny over cuts

Ed Miliband’s efforts to cut public spending and clear the deficit will be sabotaged by his own MPs after the election, the Labour leader has been warned.

As an attempt yesterday to woo business leaders backfired, Mr Miliband was told that a hardcore group of “30 to 40 left MPs” were preparing to oppose any attempt to make cuts.

The threat from John McDonnell, the leader of the Socialist Campaign Group, raises the prospect that left-wing Labour MPs will join forces with Scottish Nationalists to challenge the first budget of a Labour government.

It comes after Mr Miliband and David Cameron misfired on the first day of official campaigning. The Labour leader was embarrassed when business leaders protested at being used in a political advert