'Vacuum at heart of the Labour Party...'

LABOUR MPs have warned of a "vacuum at the heart of the party" after Sir Keir Starmer published six pledges which contrast sharply with Left-wing promises he issued just four years ago.

- Jonathan Walker

One shadow minister said: "You need a set of guiding principles in government but there's no sign of them. The question is, what does Keir actually believe in?" 

The Labour leader set out plans to increase income tax for the top five per cent of earners when he stood for the party's top job in 2020, and promised to re-nationalise water, energy, rail and water firms.

In a document entitled "my pledges to you" Sir Keir also vowed to defend freedom of movement after Brexit, which would mean people from any EU country retained the right to live and work in the UK with almost no restrictions, and to abolish the Trade Union Act.

This would mean unions could hold strikes even if fewer than 50 per cent of members took part in a ballot. But most of these policies were ditched when he announced his six "first steps" last week. Instead, he promised to keep taxes "as low as possible", although he stopped short of ruling out tax increases.