A survey of those working at the heart of Westminster found that Balls is overwhelmingly seen to present a greater threat than any of his colleagues.

Forty seven% believe that Balls is the Labour politician who can do most damage to the government. Shadow chancellor Alan Johnson was ranked second, but trailed 22 points behind.

Conservative-leaning political insiders rated Balls the most highly, suggesting a deep-seated fear of the pugnacious shadow home secretary, says PoliticsHome – which did the survey.

PH say they interviewed 357 people professionally involved in politics and 952 politically informed members of the public.

Results are politically weighted, but take with a pinch of salt since it’s not clear how this weighting is done.

Reader comments

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