Labour Leader To Set Out 'Six Pledges' As Pre-Election Manoeuvring Begins

Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer is set to deliver a pre-election speech highlighing his 'six pledges' for gov't should his centre-left Labour party win power in the contest, due by Jan 2025 at the latest. Starmer is set to speak at around 1000BST (0500ET, 1100CET) - livestream here. The speech is not likely to unveil any significant new planned policies, but instead seek to create a coherent view of what a Starmer-led gov't would seek to achieve.

• The pledges include: adhering to tough spending rules to ensure economic stability, 40k more healthcare appointments/week paid for by closing tax loopholes & ending non-dom status, new border security command to stop small boats crossing English Channel, set up 'Great British Energy' - publicly owned clean power firm, reduce anti-social behaviour with more neighbourhood policing, and hire 6,500 new teachers paid for by ending private school VAT break.
• While the date of the election is not yet known, the unofficial starting gun was fired by PM Rishi Sunak earlier in the week when he delivered a speech on foreign policy and global security, seen as an effort to burnish his centre-right Conservative party's credentials on protecting the UK.
• Over the coming months, speeches from Starmer and his senior shadow cabinet are likely to garner increasing press and market attention given that opinion polling at present suggests Labour will come to power with a sizeable majority at the election.