Labour councillor resigns over Ed Miliband Sun picture

Liverpool Labour councillor has resigned from the party in protest at Ed Miliband’s support for The Sun newspaper.

Cllr Martin Cummins, who represents Croxteth, told the Liverpool Echo that the Labour leader's picture holding up The Sun newspaper had “rocked me to my core”

His resignation letter said:

• Read: Miliband apologises for posing with a copy of The Sun

Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said Ed Miliband's action of posing with The Sun was a "stupid thing to do".

Miliband apologised after being criticised for failing to take account of continuing fury over the tabloid's coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.

But his apology comes "a bit late", she added.

Mrs Aspinall, attending the inquest into the death of her son James at the Hillsborough inquests in Warrington, said: "Common sense should have prevailed.

"I can't understand the insensitivity of what they have done, they didn't show any common sense.

"They know the families have got enough to get through right now, they know the feelings of the people, not just in Liverpool, it has spread everywhere.

"At this moment in time, it was a stupid thing to do. You have got to think about all the people it affected."

Read: Miliband apologises for posing with a copy of The Sun**

Ed Miliband has apologised after posing with a copy of The Sun, distributed for free in Liverpool to mark the start of the World Cup.

Labour figures in the city expressed anger at his action for failing to take account of continuing fury over the tabloid's coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.

"Ed Miliband was promoting England's bid to win the World Cup and is proud to do so," a spokesman for the party leader said.

"But he understands the anger that is felt towards The Sun over Hillsborough by many people and he is sorry to those who feel offended."