Keir Starmer visits Oak Caffe in Barnet, north London, during the election campaign. Photo: Stefan Rousseau
Sir Keir Starmer has described himself as a socialist who “always puts country first and party second.”
Asked if he would use the word to describe himself, Sir Keir told the BBC: “Yes, I would call myself a socialist. I call myself a progressive person. I would describe myself as someone who always puts country first and party second.”
Widely known as a centrist, Sir Keir joined the Young Socialist Labor Party in East Surrey when he was a teenager. and helped found the radical journal Socialist Alternatives after graduating from the University of Leeds.
During the 2020 election campaign, he called himself a socialist, telling the Camden New Journal: “I’m a socialist. For me, what drives this is the very deep inequality that we have right now across the country in all its forms: income, wealth, health, influence – it's deeply ingrained.
“I believe that for in order to change this you need to make fundamental changes and shifts in power and wealth, and I think we need to be more radical than we have thought in the past. This is a very practical application for me.”
However, the Labor leader has since been accused of purging the Labor left, including figures such as his left-wing predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who now plans to run against his old party as an independent candidate on July 4.
On Monday he made his the first keynote speech of the election campaign in which the Labor leader sought to distance himself from Corbyn, insisting he had switched parties “for good”.
In a very personal speech in Lansing, West Sussex, Sir Keir outlined his background and appealed for voter confidence.
He insisted he had changed the party for good, saying: “Look – no matter what the polls say, I I know there are countless people who have not yet decided how they will vote in this election.
“They are fed up with the failure, chaos and division of the Tories, but they still have questions. about us: has Labor changed enough? Do I trust them with my money, our borders, our security?
“My answer is yes you can, because I have changed this party forever.”
Sir Keir Starmer (left) meets with Tom Rutland, Labor candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA
He also ruled out giving votes to EU citizens in a reversal from a previous promise and suggested Labor could scrap new voter ID laws. introduced by the Tories.
And he defended his party's plans to lower the voting age to 16, arguing that people with the right to work should be given a say in how their taxes are spent.
He ridiculed Mr Sunak's plans bring back national service, likening the policy to “Teen Dad's Army”.
He said: “The desperation of this national service policy, a kind of teenage dad's army, paid for – I'm kidding – will not cancel the funding for Leveling Up and the money from tax avoidance that we would use to invest in our NHS.
“Now all elections are a choice, and this is an unambiguous choice. Leveling up and the NHS with Labour, or more desperate chaos with the Tories. It is a choice.”
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The Labor leader also said he has “respect” for parents who work hard to send their children to private school despite a tax raid on the sector.
In a Q&A after his speech , he defended his plans to introduce VAT on fees as a “difficult” but necessary step to support the public sector.
Parents and headteachers across the country fear the tax raid could trigger an exodus of pupils as families struggle to afford tuition fees.
However, Sir Keir said existing “tax breaks” for private schools “must be scrapped” to pay for Labour's plans to tackle the “intolerable” problem. situation for state schoolchildren.
It comes after the party's tax proposals became the first casualty of school closures in Hampshire, where parents were faced with a huge rise in costs.
Sir Keir also told the BBC he had ruled out the possibility of installing a main building. VAT rates, insisting that none of Labour's plans would “require us to raise taxes”.
He also said he was opposed to the creation of any new grammar schools, but “we are certainly not looking to close what already exists.”
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Angela Richardson, deputy leader of the Conservative Party, said: “This just goes to show that Starmer will always stick to the same old Labor approach.”
“Sir Keir spent four years supporting Jeremy Corbyn and is planning to abolish him army and withdraw from NATO, he now plans to impose an aspiration tax on families – so it is no surprise that he identifies as a socialist.
“While Sir Keir Starmer will take us back to square one, Mr Sunak and the Conservatives have There is a clear plan to ensure a secure future for you and your family.”
Sir Keir, 61, also rejected Tory claims he can't keep up with rival Rishi Sunak, 44.
Asked how he would respond to briefings that he is “sleepy” and “tired”, he replied to The Telegraph: “You” I saw the energy that not only me, but the whole team put into this election. Since January 1st, I have had a smile on my face because I knew it would be an election year.
“I spent nine years of my life in opposition, four and a half years I was leader of the Labor Party… We do this not only with energy, but with a smile, with positivity. all our candidates as we go to the next general election.”
In another interview with ITV News, he mocked Mr Sunak about his rain-soaked Downing Street campaign speech, quipping: “I would I had an umbrella. I think almost everyone in the country would have an umbrella. The plan was to have an umbrella.”
And on Monday he apologized to Sky News for reneging on his previous promises.
He said: “I think it's important to stand up in front of voters and say, 'I'm sorry, I can't afford what I said before because of the damage to the economy.'” He added: ” “So many politicians pretend that they can do something, although they know that they can.” t. I'm not going to do this.”
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