Keir Starmer to admit voters have major doubts about him on borders and national security & will vow he’s changed
SIR Keir Starmer will admit today that voters still have major doubts about him on borders and national security.
But the Labour leader will insist he has changed the party from their hard-Left offering in 2019 as he bids to become PM.
Sir Keir will use a campaign stop in the South East to say: “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?”
Despite a 20-point poll lead, he will insist the election is not a done deal, saying “Whatever the polls say, I know there are countless people who haven’t decided how they’ll vote in this election.”
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.”
And to try to put his support for Jeremy Corbyn to bed, he will argue: “The very foundation of any good government is economic security, border security and national security.”
He will insist he has changed Labour permanently, adding: “This has been my driving mission since day one.
“I took this Labour Party four years ago and I changed it into the party you see today.
“Whenever I face a fork in the road, it always comes back to this . . . the golden thread . . . country first, party second.”
He says protecting the nation will be the bedrock of his premiership if he wins on July 4 — but will duck setting out in clear terms any new policies on how he will do so.
Last night, Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer told The Sun Sir Keir was “essentially trying to ghost his way into No10, without saying anything, without committing to anything, without having any plans”.