JOHN HUMPHRYS pricked Ed Miliband's relaunch balloon with a no-holds barred interview on the BBC Today programme this morning, even suggesting – though he tried to withdraw it - that Ed might be “too ugly” to win a general election.

Humphrys said: "I remember privately talking to Robin Cook when John Smith died... Everybody accepted that he was a brilliant politician, brilliant mind, brilliant orator, could have been a great leader. I asked was he going to go for it and he said, "No... Because I am too ugly. They wouldn't have me".'

Hisssssss... the sound of wind leaving the Miliband balloon was audible.

Humphrys quickly added he was not suggesting that Ed was physically “too ugly” to win, but that he didn't have the leadership quality to win power.

The Twittersphere immediately lit up with Humphrys/Miliband reaction. Tory blogger Tim Montgomerie tweeted: "Humphrys... says Robin Cook told him you can't be Labour leader and ugly... Subtle."

Humphrys went on to say that Ed's lack of an X-factor is a point that is increasingly acting as a drag on his party.

Peter Kelner, the head of YouGov, has confirmed the extent of Miliband's problem with figures showing his personal ratings when compared to other past leaders after two years reveal that is in a far worse position than Neil Kinnock (who never won an election) and is only marginally better than two past hopeless cases, Labour veteran Michael Foot and Tory Ian Duncan Smith.

The Labour leader was even goaded this morning into the media mistake of repeating a hostile question about Lord Glasman, declaring: "I don't agree with him when he says it was all crap."

Humphrys even asked Ed whether he was going to stand down. "It doesn't arise, John," he replied. Oh really!

Far more worrying for Labour spinners who tried their best to boost Ed's speech this morning by saying it was a landmark while denying it was a relaunch, Humphrys said his relaunch (sorry - restatement of Labour values) due later this morning was a "diagnosis without a prescription".

Now that would be a neat line for David Cameron when he and Ed Miliband clash tomorrow at Prime Minister's Questions