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Sir Keir Starmer will personally urge people to vote for a changed Labour Party, saying “I will fight for you” after a barrage of attacks on his leadership by senior Conservative leaders.
With signs the 4 July election is shaping up to be a presidential contest with Rishi Sunak, the Labour leader is likely to acknowledge in his speech on Monday that the swing vote is focusing on him personally.
On the eve of the speech, the Conservative party launched a highly personal attack on Mr Starmer’s age, with the Conservative chairman claiming he had spent Sunday “resting” and party insiders questioning whether he had the “stamina” to get through six weeks of election campaigning or the duties of Prime Minister.
Starmer is 61 and Sunak is 44, but both exercise regularly.
And last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a blistering 2,000-word tirade against Starmer, saying that if Labour won the election he would become “the most dangerous left-wing prime minister since the 70s”.
In his first major speech of the election campaign, the Labour leader will likely stress that the party’s campaign is focused not just on disillusionment with the Conservatives, but also on actively appealing to people to vote Labour.
He would say, “I know people are watching this election and watching me, so here’s my promise to you: I’m going to fight for you.”
“I took over the Labour Party four years ago and transformed it into the party it is today. I have been criticised for some of the changes I made but that is what change always is.”
“There are always people who say don’t do that, don’t be in such a hurry. But whenever I come to a crossroads, I always come to the golden thread – country first, party second.”
Mr Starmer will say that despite Labour having a 20-point lead in the opinion polls, “countless people are undecided about how they will vote in this election”.
He adds: “They’re tired of the Conservative failures, the confusion and the division, but they still have questions about us: Has Labour changed enough? Can I trust them with my money, my borders and my security?”
“My answer is, yes I can, because I have changed this party. For good. This has been my mission from day one. I am determined to change the Labour Party so that it can serve the British people.”
Labour is ready to meet what Starmer calls the “core tests” the British people will put to the government: economic security, border security and national security.
“Make no mistake, if the British people give us the opportunity to serve them, this is their core test. It has always been their core test,” the Labour leader added.
“I’ve been working on this for four years and now I’ve stopped. This is the foundation and the basis on which our manifesto and first steps are built.”
Mr Starmer will say Labour’s policies in its manifesto are “workable, fully funded and ready to be implemented”.
Conservative chairman and minister without portfolio Richard Haldane said it was “bizarre that Sir Keir Starmer has spent the day resting at home ahead of a speech where he says nothing.”
“Starmer has been Labour leader for four years but has failed to deliver a clear plan to secure Britain’s future.”
“All he has achieved is breaking 10 promises he made when he ran for leadership and creating a £38.5 billion surplus in his spending pledge, which means Labour will have to raise taxes by £2,094 on every hard-working family.”
“The choice is clear: stick to the plan that works and take bold action with Rishi Sunak for a safer and more secure future, or go back to square one with Sir Keir Starmer and an old-fashioned Labour Party.”
A senior Conservative campaign source said: “Yesterday [Saturday] The Prime Minister launched his campaign just two hours before Sir Keir appeared.
“Starmer is nowhere to be seen today. It’s only the fourth day of the election campaign. It’s a tough and exhausting campaign, so it’s no wonder he’s tired. But being prime minister is a 24/7 job and you need stamina.”