Starmer channels his inner Blair as he unveils six election pledges

It’s 1997 in Essex today as Keir Starmer unveils six election pledges. In a nod to Tony Blair’s election pledge card from that year, the Labour leader has announced key commitments that he wants to ‘put up in lights’ as his party’s promise to the electorate should they (as expected) win the general election later this year. The commitments are designed to be retail friendly measures that would improve the day-to-day lives of voters.

Starmer’s promises range from stabilising the economy to cracking down on antisocial behaviour and recruiting 6,500 new teachers. He has also vowed to cut NHS waiting times, set up Great British Energy and launch a new border security command. That sixth pledge shows how Starmer is increasingly confident in fighting the Tories on the issue of small boats. Taken together, the pledges were picked with the aim of appealing to swing voters in the key battlegrounds need to win a majority.