The Labour Party does not need to have any concrete policies for another two years, according to Ed Miliband's policy adviser Lord Glasman.
Speaking at a GovNet Communications fringe event at the Labour party conference, he told delegates it was important not to "rush" into defining themselves and Labour needed "time to have a really proper discussion".
"It's just very important that we don't really need to respond to the journalistic urgency of clarity and definition. It's just very important that we establish foundation, the direction that we're going in. And I do think that the really important place is where we are in two years' time," he said.
Addressing concerns from Labour councilors in the audience that they needed policies now, Glasman advised them to keep "holding the line".
He also defended Miliband's leadership of the party, after the founder of Ipsos Mori, Sir Robert Worcester, said Ed Miliband's personal poll ratings were "very, very concerning".
Sir Robert told the meeting that the public had moved from saying they had no opinion on the Labour leader to saying they were dissatisfied with him.
Lord Glasman said Labour should not "rush" to adopt policy positions so far before the next general election in 2015.
"It's very important that when Ed engages with people and they really get to know him that they don't get bored too early, and that he has some time to have a really important discussion within his party about where we are now," he said.
It is not the first time Glasman's comments have caused controversy at the Labour party conference - earlier today, he was criticised for suggesting that half of universities should be closed.