I'll fight for you

Starmer offers us hope after 13 years of Tory hell | He'll boost NHS, slash energy bills, build homes

- JOHN STEVENS

KEIR Starmer yesterday issued a rallying cry to a nation worn down by 13 years of Tory misery, with a pledge to build a better future for all.

The Labour leader promised to "fight for Britain" and vowed to get the crippled NHS back on its feet, bring down energy bills and build more houses to tackle shortages.

And in a display of his battling qualities, Mr Starmer shrugged off a protester who showered him in glitter to deliver a rousing speech to the party conference.

Taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves, he told the packed hall in Liverpool: "If he thinks that bothers me, he doesn't know me.

"Protest or power? That's why we changed our party.

Mr Starmer praised the spirit of the British people despite the "Tory project to kick the hope out of this country". He said: "The fire of change still burns in Britain and it lives on in Labour."

His promise of a brighter future will have been music to the ears of millions plunged into poverty by cruel Tory austerity policies.

Mr Starmer said he would create a nation where "working people are respected, crime is prosecuted, ambulances come, the minimum wage is enforced, infrastructure gets built".

He continued: "Children feel safe in their classroom, business and workers unite in partnership, fight together for the jobs of the future, well-paid jobs.... jobs in your town.

"I grew up working class. I've been fighting all my life. And I won't stop now. I've felt the anxiety of a cost of living crisis before. And until your family can see the way out, I will fight for you."

If Labour gets into power in next year's election, Mr Starmer warned the scale of the challenge would be immense compared with his predecessors.