God and a birth certificate lapse: Ed Miliband tackles the difficult questions

Ed Miliband today declared that he does not believe in God — and admitted he is "really embarrassed" that he failed to put his name on his son's birth certificate.

The new Labour leader faced questions about his private life following his maiden speech at the party conference in Manchester yesterday.

He said: I don't believe in God personally but I have great respect for those people who do. Different people have different religious views in this country."

He also admitted that he made a blunder by failing to realise he had to attend in person to be registered as the father because he and partner Justine Thornton are not married.

"I'm really embarrassed about this," he said during an early morning round of TV interviews. "What happens is if you are partners, rather than married — as we found out after the event — is that when Justine went to register Daniel, she came back and said You will never believe it, I can't register you. You have got to go along to the council offices and make sure you do it'. I am really embarrassed I haven't."

Mr Miliband said he would rectify the mistake when the couple's second child, due in November, is registered. "We have got a second one on the way and I am going to make sure I do two for the price of one."

He said he and Ms Thornton, also 40, would get married "eventually" but ducked an invitation to propose to her on live television. "I think it's better to do it in person, really," he protested. "I don't think it would exactly bring out my romantic side to propose on Daybreak, but thanks for the offer anyway."

Denying that their status as unmarried parents, a first for a Labour leader, indicated he did not regard marriage as important, he said: "I have a huge belief in the importance of stable family and I think it is so important to say that. What really matters to me is Justine and Daniel and the second son that we have on the way. Stable families come in different forms." Asked whether his unmarried status might stand in the way of him winning power, he insisted: " I don't think they care one way or the other as long as people show responsibility to each other."