Starmer delivers Christmas message for ‘lonely people'

Sir Keir Starmer has delivered his Christmas message to the nation, saying his "thoughts are with all those who are lonely" over the festive season.

- MILLIE COOKE

The prime minister also said he will be "hoping for peace" over the Christmas period, amid increasing instability in the Middle East, as well as thanking NHS workers and the armed forces.

In a message delivered on Christmas eve, the prime minister said he will be “looking towards a better, brighter future for every person”.

It comes as the government maintains its “Plan for Change” will improve living standards, despite the latest growth figures showing the economy flatlined in the third quarter of the year.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had previously estimated 0.1 per cent growth between July and September of this year, but it has since revised this down to 0.0 – an even weaker estimate that what was expected in the final quarter of the Conservatives’ tenure.

The figures will come as a fresh blow for Sir Keir’s government, which has put economic growth at the heart of its mission.