Ed Miliband has launched a scathing attack on David Cameron for protecting "the privileged, the powerful and the wealthiest 1%" of society.

The Labour leader claimed that 99% of the country felt "desperately let down" by the Prime Minister, who did not have it "in his DNA" to look after them.

His highly personal criticism of Mr Cameron came in an interview with The Independent, in which he argued that inequality is now centre-stage in the political debate.

Accusing the Prime Minister of sticking up for the wrong side, he said: "David Cameron really is doing a terrific job looking after the vested interests, the privileged, the powerful and the wealthiest 1%. It's the other 99% who feel desperately let down."

He added: "David Cameron doesn't get it. It is not in his DNA. It is not what drives him in his politics.

"Working for a more responsible, fairer capitalism is not what gets him up in the morning. Even he would be hard pressed to claim it was his raison d'etre."

Society is being damaged by the "wrong values" practised among society's top 1%, he said.

"Inequality has often been seen as a marginal issue for the last 20 years but is now centre stage. Now it is not just between rich and poor but the richest and everybody else," he said.

"Some of those in the top 1% display the wrong values and that percolates through to the rest of society. The unfair way rewards are handed out is partly why the middle is being squeezed."

He added: "The social exclusion of those at the top is as much of a problem for our society in this era as the social exclusion of those at the bottom of society."