Keir Starmer asks Tory voters to ditch ‘dangerous populists’ and join Labour

Keir Starmer has made a direct appeal to Conservative voters to join Labour as he promised to lead a “mission” government in the national interest that would end the Tory era of “chaos and crisis”.

The Labour leader rolled up his sleeves for his crucial conference speech – pledging to repair a “crumbling Britain” with new towns and a new approach to economic growth led by a renewed party.

Sir Keir also vowed to stick by Labour’s climate policy despite Rishi Sunak’s move to water down net zero commitments. “When Rishi Sunak says row back on our climate mission, I say speed ahead,” he said.

In a major security breach, Sir Keir was interrupted by a protester who rushed the stage at the start his speech – forcing him to brush off glitter, take off his jacket and roll up his sleeves.

It came as Starmer:

The Labour leader was forced to start his speech by shrugging off a proportional representation activist, later arrested, who rushed the stage and dumped glitter over his head. “If he thinks that bothers me, he doesn’t know me. Protest or power? That’s why we’ve changed our party, conference.”

Mr Starmer also got an ovation and loud cheers for saying he had “ripped antisemitism out by the roots”. In an appeal to patriotism and dig at his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, he said Labour was “no longer a party of protest but a party of service – country first, party second”.

Appealing directly to loyal Tory voters, he said all those who “despair” and “look in horror at the descent of your party into the murky waters of populism and conspiracy” should now join the Labour party.

Sir Keir railed against the “dangerous” Tory government, claiming that Mr Sunak’s party had been taken over by “populism and conspiracy”.

He also warned the Labour faithful that the Tories would get nasty in the run-up to the general election expected in 2024. “They will be dangerous. Wherever you think the line is, they’ve already got plans to cross it.”

The Conservatives will deploy a “scorched earth” approach to policy in a “fight to save their own skin” ahead of the election – as he mocked Mr Sunak for scrapping HS2’s leg to Manchester at the Tory conference in the city.

Promising to “bulldoze” through planning barriers, he announced plans for a series new towns developed by state-backed companies with compulsory purchase powers – recalling the Atlee government’s building of Stevenage, Crawley, Basildon and Milton Keynes.

Mr Starmer said he was willing to have a “fight” with countryside campaigners, as he also committed to building on some greenbelt areas – saying areas that are scrubland and car parks would be released.

Pledging to build 1.5 million new homes during the five years of the next parliament, he promised to restore the dream of homeownership to young people. “If we don’t take action – it will only become more distant. A luxury for the few not the privilege of the many.”

The Labour leader also vowed to get the NHS “back on its feet” by boosting capacity – getting the health service “working round the clock” with extra overtime payments, and using technology to drive efficiency and earlier diagnosis.

But Sir Keir warning there would be no New Labour-era injection of cash for the NHS. He said he wanted to use technology to “overhaul” every aspect of NHS delivery and pledged to oversee a “reforming state, not a chequebooks state”.

Labour would “fight the next election on economic growth”, he said. Drawing battle lines with the Conservatives, he claimed they were supporters of “the trickle-down nonsense, that sees wealth trickle up and jobs trickle out”.

He vowed to turn the page on the cycle of “drift, stagnate, decline” under the Tories by steering the ship on industrial policy. This would involve “a new generation of colleges” training nuclear technicians, automotive engineers and computer scientists.

Sir Keir won a lengthy standing ovation from the Labour faithful for a section of his speech on class barriers.

He pledged to build a country where everyone, regardless of background, feels “respected” by smashing the “hardest glass ceiling of all” – the “nagging voice inside” telling working class people they do not belong.

There were also jokes. He set his sights on Mr Sunak – mocking the PM for keeping a “close watch on the cost-of-living crisis from the vantage point of his short-haul helicopter”.

He said he was “beginning to see why Liz Truss won” as he segued into her being compared to a lettuce by the Daily Star newspaper during her short-lived stint in No 10. “I still think we’d be better off with that lettuce,” he quipped.