Hard-up Labour launched the poster competition in a bid to save money on design after a raft of parodies of Tory ads swept the internet.

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The Gene Hunt theme was the brainchild of 24-year-old activist Jacob Quagliozzi from St Albans, Herts, and was worked up by Labour's ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi.

Cabinet minister brothers David and Ed Miliband will officially launch the election poster later today in Basildon, Essex.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the poster was a "powerful reminder of the damage which the Tories did to Britain in the '80s".

The pair are expected to make several campaigning appearances together with the aim of securing the support of under-25s for a fourth Labour term.

They will highlight policies such as a guarantee of a job, training or work experience for young people out of work for more than six months.

They will also claim the party is more "in tune with modern Britain" on issues such as civil partnerships and the political use of the internet, accusing the Tories of seeing it as a "gimmick".

And the political use of the net generally is a gimmick

Not really. It's the most immediate way for the politicians to engage with the electorate. Nothink gimmicky about that.

Mark

it's time we started rounding up under 25s under the mental health act