Starmer vows ‘no return to austerity’
LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has promised there will be no return to austerity if his party wins the General Election.
He told the Big Issue magazine he will be as “bold as Atlee” if he becomes prime minister.
Sir Keir and the three other main party leaders – Conservative Rishi
Sunak, the SNP’S John Swinney and Lib Dems’ Sir Ed Davey – were asked by the magazine how they would end poverty if elected on July 4, with Big Issue vendors pitching in with their own questions.
“I ran a public service during austerity, I saw the impact of the Tories’ decisions,” said Sir Keir. “There will be no return to austerity with a Labour government. We’ll have a decade of national renewal, with ambitious investment and reform.”
The Big Issue said that, with 3.8 million people now living in destitution, unable to feed, clothe and keep themselves warm, each party leader was asked what they would do if they encountered a parent, in desperate need, stealing baby formula to feed their child.
“I’d offer to pay it,” said the Labour leader. “The desperation of families around the country should make the Tories feel nothing but shame.”
The Prime Minister said: “Shoplifting is not a victimless crime, and we’ll always support shopkeepers to prevent theft. At the same time, we will continue to help parents with the cost of living.”
Sir Ed said: “I’d try to persuade [the parent] not to, obviously. Try and find them other help.”
Mr Swinney said: “I’d discreetly offer to pay for the formula, as no parent should ever have to face this situation. Sadly, this is not hypothetical.”
Asked how the parties would work to end poverty, the Prime Minister said: “Work is the best way out of poverty, as Big Issue shows, and our welfare reforms have helped around four million more people into work.”