Starmer ready for poll

IT is "unforgivable" the Tories did not follow through on their pledge to level up parts of the UK, Sir Keir Starmer said as he launched Labour's local election campaign.

But the Labour leader would not commit to "turn the taps on" to help local councils fill their funding black holes.

Sir Keir suggested the local elections were a chance for voters to send "another message" to the Conservatives, as he urged Rishi Sunak to call a general election.

Ahead of the May 2 polls, the Labour leader touted his party's "local growth plan", and suggested he favoured longer-term funding deals for councils if his party were to win power at a general election.

At the launch alongside his deputy Angela Rayner, Sir Keir appeared to praise the sentiment behind the levelling up agenda, but suggested his party would drive a "fundamental shift" in politics through devolution.