“THESE STRIKES ARE wrong”, said Labour leader Ed Miliband of the public sector walkout in the UK yesterday and viewers of an interview with him were in no doubt of his views after he repeated that phrase and others several times in a bizarre exchange.

Speaking to the BBC, Miliband uttered the phrase: “The government has acted in a reckless and provocative manner” no less than five times and was at pains to say how wrong the strikes were on numerous occasions in answering every question put to him.

At various points during the interview Miliband uttered phrases such as: “These strikes are wrong at a time when negotiations are still going on,” and “After today’s disruption I urge both sides to put aside the rhetoric and stop it happening again.”

The interview left some Labour supporters wondering if it was a spoof and the influential Labour List blog unimpressed, describing it as “cringeworthy viewing of the highest order.”

The Daily Mail has already dubbed him ‘Robo-Ed’ saying: “With his bizarre nasal voice and geeky demeanor, commentators have often asked whether Ed Miliband is really human.”

Is he? Watch: