Keir Starmer declares he is 'ready for government' as he vowed to 'hit the ground running'

By Harriet Line 00:32 04 Jul 2024, updated 02:21 04 Jul 2024

• Polls predict Labour win but Sir Keir says undecided voters 'need convincing' 

Sir Keir Starmer declared he is 'ready for government' as he vowed to 'hit the ground running' if he tomorrow becomes the first Labour prime minister in 14 years.

As he criss-crossed across Britain on the final day of the campaign trail yesterday, the Labour leader said being in opposition had been the 'least productive nine years of my life'.

On the eve of polling day – and on the cusp of entering No 10 – he said he had been preparing his team for power for 18 months as they would be 'unforgiven if we are not prepared'.

Asked if he was ready, Sir Keir replied: 'Ready for government. Nothing is going to be easy, almost everything is in a pretty poor state, but we have to be ready for it and I'm confident we will be. 

So while we have not been getting ahead of ourselves, genuinely, we have been preparing hard on the basis that this needs to be hitting the ground running on day one which is what we intend to do.'

He said he was 'pleased to have this opportunity', adding: 'I can't tell you how frustrating opposition is – it's been the least productive nine years of my life.

'Being in opposition, voting and losing for nine years, is not doing what I came into politics to do – I didn't come into politics relatively late in life, when I did have other things I could have done, to be on the opposition benches – I've been on there far too long so I'm really pleased to have the opportunity.'

Sir Keir flew from Wales, to Scotland and on to the Midlands in a final bid to convince voters to back his party today.

His chartered jet was the same one used by the England football team to travel to the Euros in Germany last month. Sir Keir sat in the same seat as manager Gareth Southgate.

In a final push on the eve of polling day, the Labour leader warned that undecided voters 'need convincing' and said those who want 'change' need to 'go out and vote for it'.

Sir Keir is destined for No10, according to countless polls, but fears he may not secure as many votes as forecast if voters believe it is a foregone conclusion.

Yesterday Mel Stride admitted Labour was likely to win the 'largest majority any party has ever achieved', but Sir Keir told voters on a visit to Carmarthen, south Wales, that the Tories were just 'trying to dissuade people from voting'.

Sir Keir has visited 57 different seats during the campaign, including 43 being defended by the Conservatives. His team has begun to increase their focus on what could come after polling day – gearing up for what many believe is a fait accompli.

Advisers expect the Labour leader to announce his Cabinet tomorrow, before holding an event over the weekend to set out his domestic policies, ahead of his trip to Washington for a Nato summit on Tuesday.

Yesterday Sir Keir conceded he had been thinking about the implications of what looks likely to come for his family.

The Labour leader, who has a son, 16, and daughter, 13, with his wife Victoria, said it would not be 'easy' for them to 'go through big changes' – but vowed to be 'fiercely protective' of them.

'They are understandably at an age where this is very impactful on them, which is why I've been so fiercely protective of them for many years and I will continue to try to be so. That's just a very personal thing that I owe them.'

The Starmers will move into Downing Street if he wins the election, despite his teenage daughter once telling him she would not be joining.

The Labour leader has faced criticism for saying he would try to keep Friday nights clear for family time if he wins the election. Asked if he would spend time with them today, he said he 'may be pretty busy', adding: 'So I better not make promises I can't keep to anyone – including my children.'