Sir Keir Starmer on Labour’s economic recovery plan and rooting out inequality

It's been a tough few weeks for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, as the vaccine rollout gives Boris Johnson a boost in opinion polls. Some in Labour say their leader is failing to attack the government's handling of the pandemic and the fallout from Brexit. And it isn't just disgruntled Corbynistas demanding more vision and fight. Today he set out his Labour vision for a post-Covid Britain.

We sat down with Sir Keir Starmer at Labour headquarters, and began by asking him if after all the recent criticism this speech was a relaunch.

[Hornscope]

I gave up British politics and labour, the day this clown took over the labour party and Jeremy Corboyn was overthrown. I don't even follow or watch British politics anymore

[JayBenjamin]

Kier is a disgrace. I definitely won't vote Tory, but with him at the "opposition" I doubt Labour will get my vote either.

[Irishtradchannel]

Are most of the working class so fed up of being insulted and ignored by Labour that they don't care what the party says or who leads it.

Looks like it.

[kerryfry]

Framing: Why isn't Johnson asked the black lives matter question? Why is the right wing not held accountable for anything? After all their in power.

[mohammedbennour]

The new Tony Blair, history repeats itself. The media is marketing Starmer as it did with Blair, welcome to the NEW NEW LABOUR.

[insanityrulestheday]

10 years of inequality in Britain? More like 30 years of inequality in Britain! As soon as the British government started charging Women like myself who were working straight from school at the age of 17 in 1984, a 40 hour week job on a Tory Youth Training Scheme for a minimum wage of £1.66 an hour only, with No child benefits. After all, I never left school as a woman at the age of 17 with ready made children in need. I was charged by my local Scottish Labour run Council, illegal Domestic Poll and Council Taxes from the age of 21 in 1988, while living with my parents at their rented Council House, after 2 men came out from my local council to my parents house in 1990 and told my Mother to let me know when I returned from work, that I was liable to pay these Collective Poll and Council Taxes, when my Father was already working full-time and paying these Poll and Council Taxes which replaced the fairer Household Domestic Rates. After all, he was the Householder(NOT ME). My local Scottish Council then arrested every Month from my wages in 1990, which the Tory government had made Mandatory be paid into a Bank account in 1985, taking £55.00 every month(£715.00)annually, increasing to £65.00 every month(£845.00)annually then increasing to £90.00 every month(£1170.00)annually, and I have been illegally charged these Greedy Poll and Council Taxes for the past 30 years for the right to NO Family life and children of my own. After all, I was being charged illegal taxes to live with my parents as their child, so that I stopped being able to afford to socialise, go holidays, buy my house or have my right to a Family life and children of my own. My Father was paying Household Rent and £12.00 a month(£3.00 a week) in Domestic household Rates in the 1980s as a Man working with a Family of 5, prior to Thatchers Tory government replacing these Rates with these illegal Poll and Council Taxes. I was charged as a single Woman with NO Children, working a 40 hour week for a minimum wage of £1.66 an hour and NO Child benefits at the age of 21, a Poll Tax of £55.00 every month(£13.75 a week) 4 times what my Father had paid as a working Man with a Family of 5 children. And by the age of 30 I was charged as a Woman without children, Council Taxes of £90.00 every month(£22.50 a week), almost 8 times what my Father had paid as a working Man with a Family and I have been charged these Taxes for the past 30 years for the right to No Family life or children of my own. Unlike the single parent Freeloaders who have never worked, let alone paid a penny of these illegal Greedy Taxes for their right to a Family life and all of their social welfare state benefits and services. The GREEDY British governments of the last 30 years who have charged me as a Woman without Children these Collective Taxes for the past 30 years, so that I stopped being able to LIVE, Created this In-equality.

[jamesbristow]

Even Channel 4 can't get this man into no. 10 😀😂

[chrisgriffin]

i only voted Labour when Corbyn was leading them, now that he has bin removed where can a socialist like me go? i have no group i feel like voting for and yet socialists will be blamed for abandoning a Labour party, that abandoned them.

[asimwaheed]

Keir Starmer does not appear to connect to the electorate.

[samgreen]

If people actually listened to what he's saying, rather than what the Tories would have you believe, you'd see he speaks an awful lot of sense and isn't just a populist

[thefunkybeautiful]

He did not denounce Austerity as a political choice! Incredible. He was given the option, didn't want to press the button on that. So he avoided the truth, to appeal to Tory voters who claim Labour aren't good on the economy, is that the approach? No ideas, no idea. Terrible leader.

[theyarecomingforyou]

What is the point of being opposition leader if you're not even willing to criticise the current government? The Tories are responsible for 120, 000 deaths and of profiteering from the pandemic and yet Starmer displays the emotional empathy of a plate of cheese.

[Theninebar]

Until they cut social justice elements out of their party they have zero chance of being elected.

[rboddington]

Hard to believe there is a worse option out there than the Conservatives.

[davidpain]

Kier starmer is like some start out default politician on a politics simulator. Love or hate Boris at least he has some personality.

[kharmalade]

He's always demanding "clarity" even though people can see right through him.

[johnriley]

For the love of God, how badly does a Tory gov. have to be before the media actually give a Labour leader a fair crack of the whip. 117, 000 dead, 1/3 in poverty, food banks for nurses who work 2 maybe 3 jobs. But no don't concentrate on that just make sure you focus on the opposition leader.

[Rimawedspuneet]

I'd rather vote for a tree than him, atleast Id know where it stands. No stance on the farmers protest, no stance on BLM, no stance on tuition fees, This is a choice between a rock and a hard place. No clear stance on BLM. This man is Luke warm on pretty much everything that matters. Starmer doesn't go far enough.

[davidgranvillehunter]

Starmer wants to move forward to 1945?

[anomalyldn]

This is embarrassingly pathetic even for centrist standards