Sir Keir Starmer vowed to tackle the huge social divides in London as he unveiled six “First Step” pledges for the upcoming general election.
He told how some school children in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency in north London “can’t even imagine their future” working in some of the capital’s big businesses.
Ahead of the launch in Thurrock, Essex, of Labour’s new pledge card, Sir Keir told The Standard: “In my constituency, we’ve got Somers Town, a deprived area just between Euston and Kings Cross. One of the most deprived areas in the country.
“The children in the schools in Somers Town can look out of their classroom window, look out at their playground, across to the back of Kings Cross, and see the development of corporations going in there. Google - incredible, incredible organisation....
“But they can’t even imagine their future in those terms. That’s a few hundred yards and they can’t make that leap.”
The Labour leader added: “I want every child, whatever their backgrounds, to think success belongs to them. That they don’t have to change who they are just to get on.”
The six flagship pledges in Labour’s “retail offer” to voters for the general election, expected in the autumn, are to:
* Deliver economic stability
* Cut NHS waiting times
* Launch a new Border Security Command (to cut down on “small boats” Channel crossings)
* Set up Great British Energy
* Crack down on antisocial behaviour
* Recruit 6,500 new teachers
They did not include any specific measure on workers’ rights or tackling climate change, decisions which were seen as showing Labour targeting Tory 2019 voters who could switch party.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the six pledges were “Tory-lite” as the Conservatives claimed Labour had “no coherent plan” and described today’s announcement as Sir Keir’s “sixteenth relaunch” that “won’t amount to a hill of beans”.
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The list is similar in many ways to Rishi Sunak’s five pledges on the economy, the NHS, and “stopping the small boats,” a fact which might dismay some Labour activists.
But Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Co-ordinator, stressed: “The only way you’re going to win the election is by appealing to people who haven’t traditionally voted for you, and who voted Conservative in many cases in recent elections.
“That is what the difference between losing and winning is, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of in that.”
Labour declined to name its target seats, with a spokesman making clear that it is planning some surprise raids into Tory stronghold constituencies to try to pull off some shock general election wins.
