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Sir Keir details vision for ‘levelling-up’ Britain in 'patriotic pitch' and dig at his predecessor

LABOUR will be the party of levelling up Britain and closing the attainment gap between the rich and poor, party leader Sir Keir Starmer will pledge on Tuesday.

In his speech to close Labour’s online conference Labour Connected, he will detail his vision for Britain to be the “best place to grow up in and the best place to grow old in.”

Speaking in Doncaster for his first keynote speech since being elected Labour leader earlier this year, Mr Starmer is expected to talk about the opportunities he had in life.

The QC was knighted for his former roles as director of public prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service, and has described himself as having had a working-class upbringing.

He will also directly urge voters who switched from Labour to the Tories in recent elections “to take another look at Labour,” in a bid to pitch the party as patriotic.

“We’re under new leadership. We love this country as you do,” he will say in a snide reference to smears on his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who was attacked as unpatriotic because of his opposition to war.

He will add that ending the education gap should be a “national mission.

“Enforce it through an independent body, such as the Children’s Commissioner, and make sure no family loses out because of the exams fiasco or delays in getting children into school.”

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), commented that eradicating poverty should be part of the effort.

He said that 4.3 million people in 2018-19 were in poverty — nine children in a class of 30 — and that 200,000 more children will be pushed below the poverty line by Christmas.

Mr Courtney said: “It is obvious that children and young people who are cold, hungry, and worried cannot concentrate or learn as effectively.

“The NEU is calling upon government to expand eligibility for free school meals for every child on universal credit, for free school meals to be expanded year-round to end holiday hunger, and to ensure school uniforms are affordable.

“700,000 young people live in homes without internet access. The government must step up its scheme to provide free wifi access and laptops for disadvantaged children and give schools a dedicated tech budget to combat the digital divide.

“All of this is readily achievable. The NEU looks forward to working with all political parties to ensure no child is left behind.”

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