Ed Miliband 's poor leadership has been mocked by a Labour candidate , who said it was like having ' a manager of a football team that you do n't rate , but you still support the team ' . Paul Gilbert even joked that he hoped his 'off-piste ' comment would not 'find it 's way back ' to the Labour leadership , because he stands little hope of winning in Cheltenham , Gloucestershire . He also blasted Labour 's 'entirely unsatisfactory ' policy on tuition fees and told voters at a university hustings : ' I do n't like where we are . ' Scroll down for video . Labour candidate Paul Gilbert mocked Ed Miliband and then joked that he hoped his 'off-piste ' comment would not 'find it 's way back ' to the Labour leadership . Mr Miliband has faced repeated criticism and off-the-record briefing about his leadership among Labour ranks , but most have seen the sense of keeping quiet about their misgivings during the election campaign . But Mr Gilbert felt no such reservations as he appeared at a hustings event with four other candidates . The 52-year-old lawyer was asked for his comments on higher eduction funding by a member of the audience at the packed event at the University of Gloucestershire . He said : 'If I can go off-piste a little , as somebody who has a very realistic idea of what the maths will be in this constituency , maybe what I say is n't going to find it 's way back to Mr Miliband and his friends . ' He added : 'Now one of the things which has brought me to politics at this very late stage you might think is the wish to make a difference . Now I am a Labour man and I will stand by my party , thick and thin . 'It 's a bit like having a manager of a football team that you do n't rate , but you still support the team , sometimes . 'What we have to do is work out how we can make the difference best , and from my point of view you 're better on the inside making a difference than being on the outside grumbling about it . ' To laughter from the audience , he was mocked by one of his fellow candidates for his 'glowing endorsement ' for Labour 's leader . Ed Miliband , pictured giving a speech in Stockton-on-Tees today , has promised to cut tuition fees from up to £9,000 to £6,000 if he is elected on May 7 . Ed Miliband has revealed his childhood dream was to become a London bus conductor . The Labour leader said a fascination with the ticket machines on the old-style vehicles had made him want the job . Mr Miliband made the admission during a visit to Stockton-on-Tees , where he was asked by a young boy in the audience , Nelson Driscoll , what he wanted to be when he was seven years old . He replied : ' I wanted to be a bus conductor . I tell you why , because on the London buses there used to be these things where you used to turn around the ticket machine . I was particularly fascinated by that . ' Mr Miliband is not the only party leader to have dreamed of being on the buses . Conservative former prime minister Sir John Major once failed a test to become a bus conductor . The seat of Cheltenham is held by the Lib Dem Martin Horwood , who secured a majority of 4,920 over the Conservatives in 2010 . But the constituency is seen as crucial to Tory hopes of winning an overall majority in the Commons . However , five years ago Labour secured just 5 per cent of the vote . Mr Miliband has promised to cut tuition fees from up to £9,000 to £6,000 if he is elected on May 7 . Critics have argued the only people to benefit from the reductions will be wealthy graduates , because most people would never pay back the full amount during their working lifetime . But Mr Gilbert appeared to suggest the party should have gone further in reducing the cost of gaining a degree . He said : 'You know that in the Labour manifesto the fees will come down to £6,000 - it still feels entirely unsatisfactory . ' He added : 'But it seems to me with two daughters who are 22 and 20 , and they have been saddled with debt as the gentleman in the audience mentioned earlier . ' I find it really silly and really ridiculous that we have not worked this one through sufficiently well . 'We have choices . We have choices for all sorts of things , but we choose to spend the money on other things , and I wish we did n't , I wish we really did n't . ' He finished his criticism of his party by adding : ' I do n't like where we are , I wish it was different , but I hope we can see it differently going forward . '
Paul Gilbert jokes he hopes 'off-piste ' remark will not get back to Miliband . Labour candidate in Cheltenham also blasts party 's policy on tuition fees . Comment: