text: As the election race hots up, Labour leader Ed Miliband is getting a small taste of what it might be like to be a member of One Direction. A group of female fans, who've dubbed themselves the 'Milifans', are rallying support for the opposition leader on social media using the Twitter hashtag #milifandom. The largely teenage fanbase have spent the days running up to the May 7th election posting tweets of affection for the politician. Led by Twitter user @twcuddleston, an AS Levels student by the name of Abby, the unlikely fan club has prompted hundreds of tweets from fellow users who share their admiration for the Labour leader. My heart belongs to Ed! The Labour leader (pictured in Manchester yesterday) has been the subject of a social media storm in recent days as a group of fans, mainly teenagers, have posted their affection for him under the #milifandom hashtag . Behind the #Milifandom hashtag is @twcuddleston, an AS Level student who appears to be a genuine Labour supporter. Her tweets in support of Ed have led to lots of other women posting tweets of affection for him . Fearing a gaffe, the Labour leader has remained tight-lipped on what he makes of the Milifans but did tweet back the teen behind it, @twcuddleston . In her Twitter profile, she describes herself as 'leader of the Milifandom, a movement against the distorted media portrayal of Ed.' And even she is amazed at just how the hashtag has taken off, saying 'There are those in the milifandom, those who find the milifandom funny, and those who wonder how the hell Ed Miliband has a fandom.' Perhaps fearing a gaffe, the Labour leader has remained tight-lipped on what he makes of the Milifans but did tweet the teen behind it, @twcuddleston, saying 'Hi Abby - Delighted that you've joined Labour - welcome.' While Abby seems to be a genuine Labour supporter and a level-headed teen - she's declined giving interviews in favour of revising for her upcoming exams, others seem to be more preoccupied with Miliband's physical appearance than his abilities to run the country. One user @Helen121 defended criticism of Miliband, saying he's 'not "mouldy", he's hot!' Another, @helenamelia_xox, said 'If I ever met ed miliband I actually would cry he's so hot.' Admirer, Ellie, also chimed in: 'This all started out as a joke but now I think I legitimately fancy Ed Miliband.' One user @Helen121 defended criticism of Miliband, saying he's 'not "mouldy", he's hot!' Another, @helenamelia_xox, said 'If I ever met ed miliband I actually would cry he's so hot' Maybe one day: Labour fan @Sophiephilips1 dreams that Ed will visit her in the South West . Teen angst: @theurbanangel described her crush on Ed Miliband as 'painful' Internet jokers have also got in on the act, posting mocked-up images of Miliband as various heartthrobs. @GeneralBoles seems particularly adept at it and has morphed the opposition leader's face onto a series of scenes from Poldark, Sherlock and Fifty Shades of Grey amongst others. @GeneralBoles admitted to FEMAIL that he felt a little guilty about his Photoshopping satire, saying: 'I'm actually feeling quite guilty about jumping on the #milifandom thing. 'I've been doing satirical political Photoshops for a couple of years now and had a load of Miliband ones already on file.' Unlikely heartthrob: Images of the opposition leader looking sultry for a newspaper article have been shared by Twitter users . In an attempt to make the Labour leader look cool, Twitter users have begun editing his face on to the body of famous men, including Daniel Craig as James Bond in movie Casino Royale . Ed Milibond: Dressed in a suave grey suit,  the Labour leader is superimposed on yet another photograph of secret agent, James Bond . Windswept: While TV viewers swooned over Aidan Turner's Poldark, Ed Miliband has consistently polled low in popularity ratings . Not buying it: The drastic reworking of Miliband comes after he gained a reputation for appearing in awkward pictures, including eating a bacon sandwich (pictured here on the body of Don Draper, from Mad Men) He continues: 'This morning I saw a tweet by the young woman who I think originated #milifandom and it seems she was doing it because she supports Labour and doesn't like the way Ed is portrayed.' The Twitter mischief-maker, who declined to reveal his real identity, said he'd had over 1000 retweets of his images yesterday. While Miliband may be revelling in a very different type of attention to what he's used to, he's keeping schtum on the subject so far although he has tweeted @twcuddleston to thank her for her support of the Labour Party. Fellow Labour Party members have noticed the hysteria though, with Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan tweeting 'And I thought I was an @Ed_Miliband fan… #milifandom.' Such adoration is a feeling that Miliband may not have expected but now might be getting used to. Ed Miliband was mobbed by a screaming hen party – and even let the bride on his tour bus for a private 'selfie' The bride-to-be's sister, Kathryn Braithwaite, posted a picture of Nicola and Miliband on the campaign bus . Just last week, the Labour leader was mobbed by a screaming hen party - and even let the bride on his tour bus for a 'selfie'. Miliband was jokingly referred to as the stripper after his battle bus was gatecrashed by bride-to-be Nicola Braithwaite and her friends. One of the group from Knutsford spotted the leader's bus when she popped outside the Westminster Hotel for a cigarette and quickly alerted the bride. After brief negotiations with his spin doctors, the solicitor was allowed on the bus and emerged grinning after a few minutes in a white and blue dress, saying: 'I got a full on picture with him'. She was met by whoops and cheers from the raucous group of hens, all wearing black dresses and pink sashes, who started yelling for him to come and meet them. The Labour leader then appeared and high-fived a few of the women before they started chanting 'Selfie! Selfie! Selfie!' and turned their backs on him for a group shot. One of the women was heard saying: 'Hashtag Ed' and the group erupted into giggles before Mr Miliband made his excuses and waved goodbye. One of the women was heard saying: 'Hashtag Ed' and the group erupted into giggles before Mr Miliband made his excuses and waved goodbye.
target: #milifandom has sparked hundreds of tweets in support of Ed Miliband .
  Twitter frenzy was started by young Labour supporter named 'Abby'
  Internet jokers have joined in, posting mocked-up images of Ed as characters from famous films including Fifty shades of Grey .
  Last week, the Labour leader met an adoring hen party in Chester .
  Adoration is unlikely to translate into votes - fans are mostly teenagers .