Project Starmer, like Project Blair, is all about one thing: winning

Despite some woolly promises (and the noticeable absence of a pledge on income tax), the Labour leader who set out his six pledges in Essex is a quantum leap improvement on the Starmer of a year ago, writes Joe Murphy

The event produced more evidence that boots on the ground and suits in the boardroom are shifting Starmer’s way (Victoria Jones/PA Wire)

No gimmicks, Keir Starmer kept on saying as he launched Labour’s latest, er, gimmick: a reboot of Tony Blair’s gimmicky 1997 pledge card.

Abso-blooming-lutely no gimmicks here! Which is why Sir Keir was standing tieless with his shirt sleeves rolled up, while all the men in his shadow cabinet were forced to wear smart suits and ties fastened up to their Adam’s apple. ‘Cuz he’s the boss, innee, giving a team talk in the dressing room to the junior management!

No gimmicks, but lots of very serious subliminal messaging. Like the way all the shadow ministers, even Rachel Reeves, had to follow an autocue (look how controlled and on-message they are!), whereas Starmer just had a few bullet points on his screen, filling in the speech from memory. ‘Cuz ‘es speaking from his heart, innit!