Ed Miliband egged on campaign visit: Labour's relaunch descends into chaos Ed Miliband hit with eggs during market visit to reconnect with voters Ex-No.10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell criticises Labour messaging By Matt Chorley and Tamara Cohen Ed Miliband's attempt to relaunch his leadership descended into chaos today after the Labour leader was pelted with eggs. He hoped to use a walkabout in a south London market to attack the government over the rising cost of living. But his attempt to answer critics who claim he was failing to connect with voters backfired when six eggs rained down on his head. Yolks on him: The contents of the eggs splattered over passersby and journalists after cracking on Ed Miliband's head Splat: Ed Miliband is hit on the head by an egg during a visit to South East London's East Street Market Joke: Mr Miliband sought to laugh off the latest egging with this message posted on Twitter It is not the first time Mr Miliband has been hit by an egg - he was struck in a similar protest in May 2012 while on the campaign trail in Southampton. The Labour leader has been stung by criticism that his party has been silent for the last three weeks, while the coalition has set the political agenda. His visit to the south London's East Street Market was his first return to the frontline since his summer holiday in France. But as he tried to convince shoppers he had a plan to help people who are feeling the pinch, he was struck by several eggs. He later wrote on Twitter: 'Thanks to all at East St Market for the warm welcome today. Can recommend it for easy availability of eggs. Scotland Yard said Mr Miliband did not want police to take the matter further. Setback: Mr Miliband had hoped to focus on a claim that the government is 'out of touch' instead of wiping egg out of his hair Message: Labour hoped to turn the tables on the government, with wage increases outstripped by the rising cost of living The man who threw the six eggs was 38-year-old Dean Porter, who was homeless for five years and said he had travelled to the street specifically to target Mr Miliband. As he threw the eggs he joked that he would only have voted for Mr Miliband's brother, David. Speaking to reporters after the incident, Mr Porter said: 'They don't care about the poor, they just care about the banks, they should stop giving favouritism to the banks. The government do nothing, the shadow government do nothing. If you're poor you're considered a burden.' After the incident he was led away from the scene by market security. Protest: Dean Porter, pictured throwing the eggs, said he was protesting at the way the poor are treated by both the government and the opposition Mr Miliband said: 'This is not the first time it's happened to me, I'm sure it's not the last," he said. I'm always looking for new ways to connect with the voters.' A surprise new poll this week showed David Cameron and George Osborne have almost doubled their lead over Labour for stewardship of the economy. According to the ICM/Guardian survey, 40 per cent believe the Prime Minister and Chancellor are more capable of managing the economy than Ed Miliband and Ed Balls. It is a dramatic increase from a lead of just nine points last month, and sent shockwaves through the Labour party as Mr Miliband prepares for another relaunch. Mr Miliband has faced calls to beef up his team to take on a resurgent Tory party. Blairites called on him to recall Labour's "grown-ups" to frontline politics as he was accused of lacking a "coherent" economic policy. Former minister Chris Mullin said the Labour leader should recall big beasts such as former Cabinet ministers Alistair Darling and Alan Johnson to help rescue the party. He said Mr Miliband needs "a strong, coherent case" and "a credible message." Describing them as "grown-ups" he said on Radio 4 that Mr Darling was "a very good chancellor and still is a very credible witness on the economy" and Mr Johnson was "an immensely credible figure." Mr Mullin said Labour needed to counter the "vast lie" that Britain's economic problems were primarily caused by the previous government. He said the "only thing" the party had to apologise for was not "regulating the banks sufficiently." Former spin doctor Alastair Campbell also demanded that Mr Miliband get on the front foot over the economy. In a blog on his website, Mr Campbell wrote: "The very good record of the last Labour government has been blunted if not lost as a political weapon. Labour must be more robust in defending the record, including the Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling handling of the global financial crisis. Former minister Tony McNulty also said: "If we have little confidence defending [our] record, why should anyone believe our forward offer?"