Sir Keir Starmer denies flip-flopping after unveiling new set of campaign pledges
SIR Keir Starmer last night denied flip-flopping after unveiling a new set of campaign pledges.
The Labour leader outlined his six “first steps” for government on a Tony Blair-style pledge card at a rally in Essex.
It included a massive land grab on traditional Tory turf with pledges to crack down on small boats and anti-social yobs.
But critics accused him of watering down “missions” set out last year, including hitting the highest growth in the G7.
There was also no mention of free movement or axing tuition fees.
But Sir Keir defended junking previous promises and said: “I’m not scaling back our ambition absolutely at all.”
Starmer warned that his changes are “going to take time” to implement because “this is a very different moment to 1997, after the damage that’s been done in the last 14 years.”
The lengthy campaign launch saw endorsements from members of the public including a terminal cancer patient and business leaders.
Sir Keir even bagged the backing of David Cameron’s old Bullingdon chum Sebastian James – the boss of Boots.
Last night ex-PM Theresa May warned him not to get cocky – reminding him she fluffed a huge poll lead.
The former Tory leader said: “We have seen a lot of unexpected election results. I think I was probably 20 points ahead in most of the election campaign for the 2017 election. And look what’s happened to that.”
Tory chairman Richard Holden said: “Today’s speech was devoid of any plan for Britain. Sir Keir Starmer is a serial promise breaker who doesn’t have the courage or conviction to stick to a single a pledge he has ever made – just look at his last pledge card, which he abandoned the second he got the chance.
“His unfunded spending, higher taxes and amnesty for illegal migrants would take Britain back to square one.”