Society cares too much about how politicians look, says David Schneider

The actor has said that MPs should be judged more on their policies

David Schneider has said that more people would vote for Ed Miliband if he was better looking (Reuters)

With the gap between Labour and the Conservatives starting to narrow in the polls, Ed Miliband will no doubt be thinking about what he can do to boost his party's numbers. But instead of announcing a new policy, more people would vote for Miliband if he was better looking, and looked less like a “human platypus”, the actor David Schneider has said.

In a segment filmed for the BBC’s Daily Politics show, Schneider argued against “uglyism” in society.

In particular, Shneider took issue with the treatment of politicians by the public, arguing that they should be judged more on their policies than appearances.

He said: “Is it really all about looks now? What do people want?” A Labour manifesto that promises above-inflation rises in cheekbones? Or the elimination of the monobrow by 2020?”

While admitting that he had benefited from being “funny looking” as an actor, Schneider said that discrimination based on looks was unacceptable.

He said: “I'm appalled when I hear people – who would never judge others by the colour of their skin or because of their sexuality – reject someone because his lips look a bit like he's pressing them up against a window all the time.”