Keir Starmer aims to style himself as the new Attlee who can rebuild the country after the pandemic

Under-fire Keir Starmer aims to style himself as the new Clement Attlee who can rebuild the country after the devastation of Covid-19 pandemic

  • The Labour leader will address claims he is not up to the job of prime minister in a major speech today setting out his vision for the country
  • He plans to model himself on former Labour PM Clement Attlee, who defeated Winston Churchill in the general election held following the Second World War
  • Starmer is facing questions about why Labour remains below the Conservatives in the polls

Sir Keir Starmer will attempt to style himself as the new Clement Attlee today by vowing to rebuild Britain after the pandemic.

The Labour leader will address claims he is not up to the job of prime minister in a major speech setting out his vision for the country.

He plans to model himself on former Labour PM Mr Attlee, who defeated Winston Churchill in the general election held following the Second World War.

Sir Keir will describe next month’s Budget as a fork in the road, and say: ‘This must now be a moment to think again about the country that we want to be. A call to arms – like the Beveridge Report was in the 1940s.’

The Beveridge Report paved the way for Mr Attlee’s government to create the welfare state and the NHS.

Labour leader Keir Starmer will address claims he is not up to the job of prime minister in a major speech today setting out his vision for the country

Sir Keir will say there is ‘a chance to diagnose the condition of Britain and to start the process of putting it right,’ adding: ‘That’s the path I would take in the March Budget. To begin a new chapter in the history for our country.’

In another reference to Mr Attlee’s administration, he will say: ‘The age in which Government did little but collect and distribute revenue is over.

‘I believe people are now looking for more from their Government – like they were after the Second World War.’

Starmer plans to model himself on former Labour PM Clement Attlee (pictured), who defeated Winston Churchill in the general election held following the Second World War

Starmer plans to model himself on former Labour PM Clement Attlee (pictured), who defeated Winston Churchill in the general election held following the Second World War

Sir Keir is facing questions about why Labour remains below the Conservatives in the polls. And last night his ‘reset’ speech was dismissed as not radical enough by the Left-wing of his party.

Andrew Scattergood, co-chairman of the pro-Jeremy Corbyn Momentum group, said it had ‘no ambition, little substance’.

He added: ‘We can’t win in 2024 by promising to be better managers of the same system.’

Sir Keir, the former Director of Public Prosecutions, was expected to bring his experience as a lawyer to forensically cross-examine Boris Johnson in the Commons.

But earlier this month he was humiliated by having to admit he had made a mistake at Prime Minister’s Questions.