Sir Keir Starmer said voters had the chance to “turn the page decisively” on 14 years of “Conservative chaos” as he set out Labour’s plan for government.
Launching his party’s General Election manifesto, Sir Keir said he had dragged Labour away from the “dead end of gesture politics” and it was now “time to change Britain”.
He said that the UK was “still a great nation”, but it had lacked a “government that can match the ambition working people have”.
The manifesto, launched at an event in Manchester, was not expected to contain any surprise announcements beyond what Sir Keir has already set out.
But instead it is aimed at reassuring voters that Labour can be trusted to grow the economy and “begin the work of national renewal”.
The launch event was interrupted by a climate protester as Sir Keir began his speech, with the demonstrator swiftly removed.
In his foreword to the document, Sir Keir said: “We must turn the page decisively on the Conservative ideas that have caused the chaos.
“The world has become increasingly volatile, with a major war in Europe for the first time in a generation and ever greater threats to the living standards of working people.
“This ‘age of insecurity’ requires the government to step up, not stand aside.”
Sir Keir said Labour’s task “will not be easy”.
“Not only because there is no quick fix to the mess the Conservatives have made. But also, because their failures have sapped our collective confidence that Britain can still achieve great things.”
Sir Keir rejected that defeatism, saying: “We are still a great nation. We can still achieve great things. What we lack as a government that can match the ambition working people have for their family and community, with a credible long-term plan.”
The Labour leader, who took over from Jeremy Corbyn following the 2019 electoral mauling the party suffered, said: “The defining purpose of my Labour leadership has been to drag my party away from the dead end of gesture politics and return it once more to the service of working people.
“I have changed my party. Now I want the chance to bring that change to the country.”
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