ED MILIBAND believes Jeremy Corbyn is tough enough to beat the Tories and become the next prime minister.

The former Labour leader made a rare media intervention this weekend in which he branded the government a joke and backed his successor to secure victory in 2020.

Speaking to LBC Radio on Saturday, he was asked whether he could envisage Mr Corbyn in Downing Street.

He replied: “Yes! And frankly considering the shambolic mess we’ve got at the moment,the sooner it happens the better.

“Iain Duncan Smith has become the conscience of the Conservative Party — that sounds like a satirical headline.

“The Conservative Party is not just split over Europe, they’re split over a Budget that was clearly taking from the poor to give to the rich.

“There needs to be an alternative … and there is an alternative.”

Mr Miliband’s emphatic response was an echo of his most fiery moment as leader.

When asked in a pre-election interview if he was tough enough to become prime minister, he answered: “Hell yes, I’m tough enough.”

The former leader remains influential across the party’s grassroots and MPs and his outspoken support for Mr Corbyn lands another blow on rightwingers plotting a leadership challenge.

The party’s malcontents are currently criticising Mr Corbyn for his alleged silence on the EU referendum debate.

But Mr Miliband rejected that suggestion, saying: “He has spoken out about this. He’s been doing videos, he’s been talking about these things and he’s going to be speaking again about it after Easter.”