ED Miliband is ready for tonight’s big TV election debate – and it is all thanks to the people of Bury.

The Labour leader warmed up for the seven-way clash on ITV1 at 8pm tonight by holding a question-and-answer session at the Elizabethan Suite in Bury town centre this morning.

During the session, Mr Miliband joked that he would have to buy six black puddings from Bury Market and give one to each of his opponents before tonight’s televised showdown.

Speaking to The Bury Times after this morning’s event, Mr Miliband said: “I really enjoyed it and I’ll be going away with some Bury black puddings.

“It was a really nice audience and it’s the way I like to do these things.

“You get questions from members of the public, some of them Labour Party members, but it was a very nice welcome.

“It was a good warm up.

“You get an incredible range of questions and some really smart questions."

He added: "Seats like Bury North are very important in the national context, but it’s more important for the people of Bury North to decide who they want to be as an MP.

“James Frith is an absolutely brilliant candidate and he is somebody who is from Bury and who has shown in his fight for the NHS and fight for Bury Hospice what difference he would make.”