Ed Miliband has insisted Labour will not "lurch to the left" under his leadership and he will not be in thrall to the trade unions, despite winning with the backing of their members.

"I'm my own man," the new Labour leader told BBC One's Andrew Marr show.

He said he was on the centre ground of politics and rejected the nickname "Red Ed" as "rubbish".

Thank goodness for that. And to think we were all worried there was going to be a lurch towards Socialism.