STARMER: I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU...
Promise to undecided voters
There is not going to be a return to austerity under Labour
RACHEL REEVES SHADOW CHANCELLOR
KEIR Starmer will today tell undecided voters that they can trust him to run the country.
The Labour leader will say that while people are sick of the Tories after 14 years, he realises many are still undecided about him. And he promised them: “I will fight for you.”
As the first full week of campaigning begins, he will say in a speech: “Whatever the polls say, I know there are countless people who haven’t decided how they’ll vote in this election.
“They’re fed up with the failure, chaos and division of the Tories, but they still have questions about us. Has Labour changed enough? Do I trust them with my money, our borders, and our security?
“My answer is yes you can – because I have changed this party. Permanently. This has been my driving mission since day one. I was determined to change Labour so that it could serve the British people.”
At an event in South East London, he will pledge to fight the election on the economy and security.
He will say: “The very foundation of any good government is economic security, border security, and national security. Make no mistake, if the British people give us the opportunity to serve, then this is their core test.
“This is the foundation, the bedrock that our manifesto and first steps will be built upon.”
In a statement of personal intent, he will add: “I know those people are looking at this election, looking at me personally. So, I make this promise: I will fight for you.”
Mr Starmer conceded he had been “criticised for some of the changes I’ve made”, but he insisted he will always put “country first, party second”.
Yesterday Rachel Reeves confirmed she will not raise National Insurance or income tax if she becomes Chancellor, after first making the pledge in a January interview with the Mirror.
She said there is “not going to be a return to austerity” under Labour and vowed to boost frontline services.
Meanwhile, Sir Ed Davey said the Lib Dems are getting the best response from voters “for a generation”.
Launching his party’s campaign in Cambridgeshire, he said: “I’m not putting a ceiling on our ambitions.”