It was, his aides tell me, a deliberately personal speech with no new policy, designed to try to convey who Starmer is and what drives him.
Because it’s fair to say that how the Labour leader might appear to who he actually is, are quite different things.
You might remember how Boris Johnson used to goad him as a “lefty Islington London lawyer” and use his title, Sir Keir, to paint him as elite and out of touch.
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Part of this election campaign is about trying to define him in the minds of voters.
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His is the story of a small-town boy, growing up on the Sussex-Kent border, from a working-class background in which the annual family holiday was a trip to the Lake District.
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His father was a toolmaker and his mum a nurse, with a debilitating illness that shaped all their lives.
But that isn’t, say his team, very well known beyond the bubble of Westminster.
While I have heard Starmer talk about his tool-making late dad Rodney Starmer countless times, only 11% of the public knows that was what he did for a living, points out one of his team.
“We know the Tories’ strategy in a large part is going after Keir Starmer personally and we want to ensure voters can see who he is, where he comes from and he intends to fight for them,” they said.
“This was a deliberately personal speech that answers the questions of who he is and what motivates him, so it is right to kick off the first full week saying, ‘this is our candidate for prime minister’ when we know people are only starting to tune into the campaign.”
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13:17
National service plan ‘desperate’
Starmer says what motivates him is a sense of injustice and an anger within him that politics is no longer in the service of people.
If you want to boil his pitch down to one sentence it is this: “I changed the Labour Party to put it back into the service of British people and now I want to put Britain back into the service of working people.”
The foundation of that, he says, is economic security, border security and national security.
But there is, as the leader acknowledged in this speech, a gap between his Labour and voters.
“I know there are countless people who haven’t decide how to vote in this election,” he noted in his speech. “Do I trust Labour with my money, our borders, our security? My answer is yes, you can.”
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But the question of trust is one that haunts Starmer – the trust gap between him and voters.
When I asked him in a short interview to acknowledge that, he ran through his record as head of the Crown Prosecution Service as evidence that he delivers on promises.
But in politics, he has U-turned many times, most notably on the pledges he made when he was trying to become Labour leader.
When I put it to him that he has a trust issue because of promises broken, he told me he “totally disagreed” with that.
“I think it’s more important to stand in front of the electorate and say, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t now afford what I said before because of the damage being done to the economy.’,” he said.
“What I am saying to the electorate is this, ‘I’m going to tell you in advance of the election what I don’t think we can afford to do, I’m not going to tell you you can have everything and then break a promise’… I think that is basic honesty with the electorate.”
There are still questions about how honest Starmer is really being. While he will not make big commitments on public services beyond his six “first steps” towards delivering his missions for government by the end of the parliament – on economic growth, NHS waiting lists, teachers in schools, dealing with illegal boat crossings, safer streets and all electricity from renewables by 2030 – he has over the weekend ruled out any national insurance and income tax rises in the next parliament.
It all, given what independent forecasters such as the IMF are saying about the state of public finances, points to spending cuts in the next parliament – but this is something Labour will not be drawn on, saying only it will swiftly conduct a spending review should it win the election.
But as we get beyond the framing – Labour’s “change” message versus the Conservatives’ “choice” one – and into the nuts and bolts of what these two leaders will do, Starmer is going to face more questions on his tax policies and spending plans.
And he will need honest answers if he really wants to convince the public he is a politician worthy of their trust.
It comes as the first amber cold health alerts of the season have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covering all of England, except the South, until 6pm on Saturday.
An amber warning is issued when the weather is likely to “cause significant impacts across health and social care services”, according to the HSA.
That includes the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among older people or those with health conditions.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: “It is vital to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours to ensure they are well prepared for the onset of cold weather. Particularly if they are elderly or otherwise at increased risk.”
Meanwhile yellow health alerts – the second lowest alert level – are in place for the South East, South West and London.
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Temperatures dropped to -7.8C (18F) in Tulloch Bridge in the Scottish Highlands in the early hours of Monday, which is the lowest temperature the UK has seen since last winter.
Snow dusted grounds across Aberdeenshire, including at Glenshee Ski Centre and at Corgarff, as well as alongside the A939 near The Lecht in the Cairngorms.
Snow also blanketed the mountain of Ingleborough, while there was a sprinkling of frost near Clapham, in the Yorkshire Dales.
More expected in coming days
Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said snow has mostly fallen on hilltops so far, with 2cm falling in Lerwick, Shetland.
But more snow and ice is expected over the coming days, with temperatures plunging to below average levels for the time of year.
“It is going to be quite a widely cold week,” Ms Maxey said. “A few degrees below average both day and night for most of the country.”
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The fresh warning for Northern Ireland comes into force from 3pm today and runs until 10am on Tuesday.
The alert takes in the likes of Newry, Belfast, Omagh, Derry and Ballycastle.
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The warning in Scotland comes into force from 4pm and runs until 10am on Wednesday.
The alert covers the Highlands and Islands and the northeast of the country, including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
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Those in the impacted areas have been told power cuts are possible and mobile phone coverage might be affected.
The Met Office has said there is a “slight chance” some rural communities could be cut off and that bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled.
People have also been warned to be careful not to slip or fall on icy surfaces.
Snow ‘even down to lower levels’
Tom Morgan, Met Office meteorologist, said: “We could see some disruptive snow in the Pennine regions, in particular, the Peak District as well, especially Monday night, but we could well see some impacts lasting on until Tuesday morning’s rush hour.
“Even down to lower levels, we could well see some snow as well, so quite a bit of disruption possible by Tuesday morning, and then the week ahead is likely to stay cold nationwide, a windy day on Tuesday, and then winter showers through the week ahead.”
Mr Morgan said that despite a “mild” start to the month, the cold conditions are more typical of “mid-winter to late-winter”.
“What we can say is that it’s going to be very cold for the time of year, there will be widespread overnight frosts, and a few locations where there’s snow on the ground,” he continued.
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Changes to weather warnings ‘likely’ in coming days
In southern England, a typical maximum temperature for this time of year is 11C (52F), but daytime highs for the week ahead are forecast to be around 5C (41F), while some parts of Scotland will reach “only just above freezing”, Mr Morgan said.
Mr Morgan said the public can best prepare for the wintry weather by checking their cars are suitable for icy and potentially snowy conditions and to take extra supplies including food, blankets and a fully charged mobile phone with them on journeys.
He added there were “likely” to be changes to the weather warnings in the coming days, and that “winter flurries” could be seen in the south of England later in the week.
Despite the cold conditions, the “whole of the UK” will enjoy more sunshine this week, he said.
He added: “There’ll be some snow showers in the peripheries of the UK, particularly northern Scotland, and down the east and the west coast, but if you live inland and you live in the south, there’ll be lots of sparkly blue skies on the most days through Tuesday to Friday.”
Davina McCall has made an “enormous leap forward in the last 24 hours”, her partner has said on her Instagram.
In an update, her partner Michael Douglas, said: “Update folks. Thanks so much to all the well wishers. She really has made an enormous leap forward in the last 24 hours. She is out of ICU She is ‘loving awareness’. Thank you xx Michael.”
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The post also featured a bright pink text image, which said, “massive relief to see some light breaking through,” followed by four heart emojis.
“Thanks for all the good vibes coming in from all angles. Up and up,” it added.
Friends and fellow celebrities were quick to comment on the update, with actress Patsy Palmer writing, “sending healing,” Dame Kelly Holmes commenting “awesome news Michael” and Jools Oliver adding three heart emojis.
Speaking in the short video ahead of her operation, McCall had explained to her followers the benign tumour was around 14mm wide and “needed to come out, because if it grows it would be bad”.
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She said a surgeon would remove the cyst through the top of her head in a procedure called a craniotomy.
In her video post, the former Big Brother host said she was “in good spirits,” and would be in hospital “for around nine days” following the procedure.
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According to the NHS, non-cancerous brain tumours are slow-growing and unlikely to spread, but are still serious and can be life-threatening.
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McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.
She’s gone on to present programmes across the networks, and currently presents ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad.
Last year, McCall was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.
In recent years, McCall has spoken regularly on women’s health and the effects of menopause in a bid to break taboos around the subject. Her 2022 book, Menopausing, won book of the year at the British Book Awards.
The same year, McCall fronted the Channel 4 documentary Davina McCall: Sex, Mind And The Menopause, and told the BBC that the perimenopausal symptoms caused her difficulties multi-tasking and she considered that she had a brain tumour or Alzheimer’s disease at the time.
Married twice, McCall has three children, two daughters and a son, with her second husband, presenter Matthew Robertson.
She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and they present a weekly lifestyle podcast together, Making The Cut.
A letter in which Ernie Wise attempted to break up the double act that would go on to bring both him and Eric Morecambe worldwide fame is going on sale.
It’s part of a large archive of items belonging to Morecambe which are being sold at auction following the death in March this year of his widow, Joan, aged 97.
Morecambe died of a heart attack aged 58 in 1984. Wise died 15 years later in 1999, aged 73.
The letter, written by Wise in 1950, starts with him politely thanking Morecambe for his own letter, before writing: “Well Eric I want to get straight to the point, I want us to break up the act. I’m afraid it won’t work.”
Wise says he feels a “terrific amount” of animosity at home, and for that reason it would be better if the double act parted ways.
“I know this will be quite a shock to you but I had to come to some decision. I can’t go on as things are, I’m not satisfied with my work, I have lost a lot of zip and it will take time to regain it. I can’t keep you waiting around for me, I don’t know definitely when I will be out.
“I feel it’s a great pity after we had planned so much, but my mind’s made up.”
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‘Message showed how close pair came to splitting up’
Hansons’ sale manager Victoria Sheppard described the letter as “a poignant message” showing “how close the pair came to splitting up”.
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She went on: “Ernie explained that, with a very heavy heart, he wanted to break up the duo before they continued and became massive. He signed it ‘your best pal’. Thankfully that never happened.”
Of course, Morecambe and Wise stayed together. After first performing together on stage as teenagers, they got their own radio series in 1953, followed by a TV series the following year.
They would go on to become one of Britain’s biggest double acts, pulling in over 28 million viewers for their 1977 Christmas special.
Other items include famous glasses and Andre Previn sketch piano
The letter forms part of a collection being sold by Morecambe’s three children, Gail, Gary and Steven, collected from his former home, Brachefield in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.
Gary, 58, an author from London, said: “Our mother barely touched anything in the house after our father’s death. Hence, we have had everything quite literally under the same roof for 56 years.”
Other items being sold include Morecambe’s famous glasses, the piano he practised on to deliver a Morecambe and Wise Christmas special sketch with conductor Andre Previn and telegrams from the late Prince Philip and letters from Margaret Thatcher and fellow comics Ronnie Barker and Tommy Cooper.
The Eric Morecambe Collection – which is being sold as 700 separate lots – will go on sale at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 January 2025.