Keir Starmer tells Gary Neville he needs to win British people's trust, as he warns turning UK around will take 10 years
19 June 2024, 18:33 | Updated: 19 June 2024, 18:46
Sir Keir Starmer has told Gary Neville that he needs to win the trust of the British people if he becomes Prime Minister.
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The Labour leader told Neville, a former Manchester United and England footballer, that people "won't believe politics has changed until they see it's changed".
The two were speaking in a party election broadcast for the Labour Party, recorded in the Lake District.
Neville, who has been outspoken in his support for Labour in the past, asked Sir Keir how he could persuade people that politicians are not all the same.
The Labour leader said in response: "The first thing is returning politics to service. It's a public service. You're here to serve the country."
Labour's Party Election Broadcast: Keir Starmer speaks to Gary Neville on his plans for the country
The main Conservative attack on the Labour party is they would raise taxes. Asked how he would reassure people on that front, Sir Keir said that his choice of Shadow Chancellor - former Bank of England staff member Rachel Reeves - showed that he would manage the economy responsibly.
"She's sort of got iron rules, has Rachel. She will not sign off anything until it's fully costed, it's fully funded."
He added: "I understand it really matters that we get people to say 'we trust you on the economy, I trust you on the defence, I trust you on the borders.'"
Recalling previous announcements, Sir Keir said he had promised "a decade of national renewal" under Labour.
LBC's exclusive phone in with Sir Keir Starmer
Sir Keir earlier said there would be "no increase in taxes on working people" during an on-air phone-in with LBC listeners.
But he refused to rule out council tax rises under a Labour government, saying: "It would be foolish to write five years worth of budgets on air."
Speaking to Neville, the Labour leader vowed "to hit the ground running from the get go."
Keir Starmer declines to give a straight answer on council tax
He added: "Day one first; stabilise the economy, we have to get that back under control; making sure we're bringing down the waiting list - 40,000 appointments each and every week. And that's 2 million a year extra to bring down that waiting list; a Border Security Command that will smash the gangs that are running the vile trade of putting people in boats across the channel; set up Great British Energy - we can do that from the start - a publicly owned company generating renewable energy owned by the taxpayer, making money for the taxpayer; making sure we're dealing with anti-social behaviour with 13,000 neighbourhood police; and with sleeves rolled up, recruiting the 6,500 teachers we need in our secondary schools are particularly in core subjects like maths.
"They're the first steps.”
