Labour would “stop the chaos”, bring “change” and deliver a “long-term plan to rebuild” Britain if the party wins the general election, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pledged.
Starmer outlined a change-focused message to voters in a campaign video and a speech of his own, delivered indoors and in front of two Union Jack flags.
He reiterated how Labour has changed over the course of the last four years and said he had “returned it once more to the service of working people”, as he asked voters to trust him to do “exactly the same for our country”.
Starmer, who is currently boasting a 21-point lead, according to Politico’s ‘poll of polls’, vowed Labour would bring about “stability – economic and political” and a “politics that treads more lightly on all our lives”.
He pledged to “reset both our economy and our politics” and said his party had a “plan that is ready to go… fully costed and fully funded”.
Starmer said: “We can deliver economic stability, cut NHS waiting times, secure our borders with a new border security command, harness Great British Energy to cut your bills for good, tackle antisocial behaviour, and get the teachers we need in your children’s classroom.”
Starmer’s message came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took Westminster by surprise today with his decision to call the election for Thursday, July 4, announcing the move in a speech in the rain outside No10.
Sunak appears to have been convinced of his chances by recent signs of economic improvement, such as Tuesday’s news of an inflation drop to 2.3 per cent, as well as promises that deportation flights to Rwanda – the cornerstone of his ‘stop the boats’ policy – could take off from next month.
It also comes after fresh borrowing data cast a dampener over rumoured tax cuts at a possible future Autumn Statement, with economists warning the government would have limited head room for such a move.
Party leaders will now spend the next month and a half vying to form the next government with stump speeches, political rallies and TV debates all set to take place.