“Labour’s offer on the road”: Starmer kicks off series of summer events

Keir Starmer will hold a series of meetings and informal discussions across the country this summer as he commits to spending more time outside of Westminster “taking Labour’s offer on the road and direct to voters”.

Ahead of the first events that will take place on a two-day visit to Blackpool on Thursday, the Labour leader declared that he would be “putting forward Labour’s proposals to create real opportunities across Britain”.

The talks are intended to form part of a “national conversation” with businesses, community groups and members of the public, giving Starmer the chance to discuss Labour’s policy proposals with people across the country.

“For too long, politics has felt too remote from ordinary people’s lives and opinions. That’s why I’ve committed to spending a lot more time outside Westminster this summer, taking Labour’s offer on the road and direct to voters,” he said.

“I’ve got plans to create opportunities for everyone, and I’m looking forward to debating them with local people in Blackpool. I’ll be having robust conversations with people, particularly those who didn’t vote Labour at the last election.”

Labour has said the leader will be debating a number of proposals put forward by the party with local people about how to create new opportunities, including:

• • “Labour’s £15bn children’s recovery plan – including breakfast clubs and small group tutoring to help children catch up, mental health support in schools and an extension of free school meals;
  • “A jobs promise to ensure every young person away from work for six months is offered a quality education, training or employment opportunity; and
  • “Labour’s proposals to ‘make, buy and sell more in Britain’ – to help bring the jobs of the future to towns like Blackpool.”

Starmer made a “jobs promise” to young people in April this year as part of wider proposals to “boost employment and increase opportunities right across the country” with a green economic recovery package involving 400,000 new jobs.

The Labour leader added today: “Conservative failure over the past decade has restricted opportunities for too many people. And the pandemic has rapidly worsened that, particularly for young people. Unless we act now, and act fast, we risk the permanent scarring of an entire generation.

“So in Blackpool I’ll be putting forward Labour’s proposals to create real opportunities across Britain. Opportunities that everyone deserves and that help our country thrive. Whoever you are and wherever you live, you deserve every chance to get on in life.”

Rachel Reeves declared that Labour would “make, sell and buy more in Britain” when she unveiled a plan earlier this month to raise standards, award more public contracts to British businesses and create “jobs of the future” in the UK.

Kate Green criticised the government’s education recovery plan announced earlier this year, which aims to help children catch up on lost learning caused by Covid, saying that the £700m package announced by Gavin Williamson “lacks ambition”.

The party has also called on ministers to fully extend free school meals over the summer holiday, warning that the current plans under the holiday activities and food programme could see 24 million children miss out on meals over the break.

The announcement today follows the series of ‘Call Keir’ Zoom meetings between Starmer and voters from different areas of the country, which the party launched last year shortly after he was elected to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader.