General election 2024 latest: Keir Starmer says ‘number one mission is wealth creation’ for Labour

Keir Starmer has dodged questions on Diane Abbott as he launched Labour’s battle bus in west London.

The Labour chief was requested about saying she might stand – after an intervention by his deputy.

The dramatic U-turn got here after Ms Rayner mentioned Ms Abbott must be allowed to face – in a break together with her occasion chief.

On the launch he repeatedly claimed “I handled this yesterday”.

As Labour begins its occasion marketing campaign battle bus tour in Uxbridge, Boris Johnson’s former constituency, our Politics and Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reviews from the scene.

Only one aspect of Labour’s battle bus encompasses a single phrase greater than a dozen occasions: Change.

The message Labour needs to get throughout is that the occasion has modified, she writes. And at this election – so can the nation.

Labour has launched its battle bus in Boris Johnson’s previous electoral stomping floor of Uxbridge, west London, writes our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin.

The Labour chief joked to Angela Rayner to verify the fridge on the bus, after Mr Johnson as soon as famously hid in a single.

He added of the one-time prime minister that “he was once about these components”.

Sir Keir Starmer, deputy Labour chief Angela Rayner and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves have arrived in Boris Johnson’s former constituency to launch their battle busy tour.

Ms Rayner mentioned she has been “wanting ahead to at the present time” on the launch of the occasion’s marketing campaign battle bus tour.

The deputy Labour chief was flanked by Sir Keir and Ms Reeves in entrance of a pink bus emblazoned repeatedly with the phrase “change” in Uxbridge, west London.

Ms Rayner mentioned: “I’m going to actually get pleasure from being out and about up and down the nation on our bus.

“We wish to ship a message to the folks of this nation – we’re a modified Labour Social gathering, within the service of working folks.

“And we are going to by no means experience excessive and roughshod on the financial system.”

Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer has mentioned “wealth creation” is his prime precedence because the Common Election marketing campaign enters its second weekend.

Chatting with The Instances, Sir Keir mentioned his “primary mission” was creating extra wealth in a bid to enchantment to the center floor voters.

He prompt nearly all of England have been a “tolerant bunch” occupying the centre of political leaning.

Sir Keir will on Saturday announce quite a lot of proposed employment help and welfare advantages reforms geared toward growing the employment charge from 75 per cent to 80 per cent.

This features a new mixed nationwide jobs and careers service, native plans for work, well being and expertise help, and a assure of alternatives for younger folks.

Liberal Democrats chief Sir Ed Davey has paused campaigning for the weekend to spend time together with his son.

“This weekend I get to do essentially the most joyful and necessary factor I do: being a Dad,” he wrote on X, previously Twitter.

“Collectively, Emily and I look after our great son John, who has extreme bodily and studying disabilities.”

He added that the carers are the “lifeblood of the NHS” and might be “entrance and centre” of the Lib Dems marketing campaign subsequent week.

Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner are to seem collectively this morning for the primary time because the occasion mentioned Diane Abbott was free to face as an MP.

The dramatic U-turn got here after Ms Rayner mentioned Ms Abbott must be allowed to face – in a break together with her occasion chief.

This morning they’ll launch Ms Rayner’s battle bus tour of the UK alongside a pledge to “energy up” each nook of Britain.

Sir Keir, and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will be part of Ms Rayner as she units off on a 5,000-mile journey to battleground seats throughout the nation.