Sir Keir pledges to keep fighting for LBC listener excluded from Covid financial support

12 November 2020, 07:41 | Updated: 12 November 2020, 07:51

Sir Keir Starmer tells LBC the PM completely ignored the plight of an LBC listener

By EJ Ward

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has promised to keep fighting for the 'three million excluded' following a question from an LBC listener.

When Sir Keir Starmer pledged to ask the Chancellor a question which an LBC listener raised with him during his regular monthly phone-in show nobody expected it to feature at Prime Minister's Questions.

Originally the Labour leader had pledged to raise the issue of the three million people who are "excluded" from gaining access to the government's Covid support package with the Chancellor, but he ended up asking Boris Johnson.

However, Sir Keir branded the answer he was given by the PM as "deeply disappointing" telling LBC's Nick Ferrari that the question raised by self-employed photographer Chris was "really important."

"He just completely ignored the problem and pretended it wasn't there," Sir Keir said.

The Labour leader said in the end the Prime Minister's answer was "contempt for the three million."

When asked what the next steps were the Labour leader pledged to keep fighting for Chris and the three million excluded.

"We're going to go the Chancellor on this," Sir Keir promised. Adding "we will pursue this now with the Chancellor and we will keep on pursuing this."

Starmer asks the PM LBC listeners question on Self-employed support

Sir Keir Starmer highlighted the plight of the self-employed photographer, asking Boris Johnson: "What would the Prime Minister say to Chris and millions like him who are desperately waiting for the Chancellor to address this injustice?"

In response to the Labour leader's question, Boris Johnson replied in the Commons: "What I'd say to Chris and (Sir Keir) and to the whole country is the best way to get his job working again, the best way to get this country back on its feet, is to continue on the path that we are driving the virus down.

"He said science has given the country "two big boxing gloves" via a possible vaccine and testing, adding: "Neither of them is capable of delivering a knock out blow on its own.

"That's why this country needs to continue to work hard to keep discipline and to observe the measures we've put in."