Can Labour's women save Ed Miliband? So although the grown-ups might help you sound more coherent, they'll also remind voters of the reason they chucked Labour out at the last election. Yes I know you refuse to admit you were wrong on the economy, but the fact is that on current polling evidence, the punters trust the Tories way more than you to get things moving again. And minuscule though the recovery is, it does appear to be happening. What to do then? Well, you won't be surprised to hear that I think the women on your front bench might give you a helping hand. Harriet Harman Though she's yet to lay a finger on the Home Secretary, "teflon" Theresa May, Yvette Cooper is impressive. So impressive in fact that many put money on her becoming the next Labour leader. Which, come to think of it, is precisely why you might find it hard to count on her support or talk up her prospects. Your deputy Harriet Harman is less of a threat but less of a star too. But both of them share the same problem as the grown-up blokes do: baggage. Yvette in particular, and unfair as it may seem, is too closely associated with Labour's economic record by virtue of her husband - Ed Balls. So IMHO you should turn for inspiration to the next generation of women. Rachel Reeves pictured with Ed Miliband Rachel Reeves only became an MP in 2010, but thanks to a brain the size of a planet, has a ready answer for all her political opponents. A chess champion, she's always one move ahead. Mary Creagh is more energetic than any of her frontbench colleagues, and, as she showed in the horse meat scandal, twice as hard-working as all the blokes put together. And some of the more junior women are making waves too. Stella Creasy has scored hits on payday lending and social media, and although her ubiquity on TV programmes like my own has caused resentment among colleagues, I put that down to tall poppy syndrome. Are you a strong enough leader to surround yourself with strong women? Stella Creasy Luciana Berger and Rushanara Ali have a way to go yet, but they too are starting to make an impact. Of course, none of these good women can obscure the fact that public scepticism focuses on you not your team. And it's hard to see what can be done about that. But after a lack-lustre summer, even your own MPs and peers say Labour needs to up its game. And rather than shouting from the sidelines, the women I've mentioned would be ideal strikers. Refreshed by your holiday, recovered from the egging, you've got a tough autumn ahead. Are you and your team up to the task? Yours,