Keir Starmer says ‘radical socialist tradition’ must remain at heart of Labour in pitch to party’s left

Exclusive: ‘Labour has always been a place where different ways of thinking come together,’ says frontrunner in unity plea

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to keep the “radical socialist tradition” at heart of Labour in a pitch to the party’s left wing as members prepare to vote for the next leader.

The race frontrunner sought to showcase his left-wing credentials in a challenge to his rival Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, who is regarded as Jeremy Corbyn’s heir apparent.

In an exclusive article for The Independent, Sir Keir vowed to keep the “energy and the passion” built by Mr Corbyn but to create a more inclusive culture based on “dignity and respect”.

Describing the election result as “devastating”, the Holborn and St Pancras MP said Labour could only win again if it was “united”.

The three candidates are setting out their stalls in this newspaper before Labour members and supporters begin voting to elect a new leader on Monday.

Writing in The Independent, Sir Keir said: “Labour has always been a place where different ways of thinking come together. Our trade unionist, reformist social democrats and radical socialist traditions are still at the heart of our movement.

“Over the decades Labour has also become a home for feminists, environmentalists, campaigners for a fairer society for disabled people, LGBT+ movements, anti-racist campaigners, internationalists and many more.

“I am proud of our movement and how it has grown since 2015. I don’t want us to lose the energy and the passion we have found over recent years.

“Instead, the future of our party must be built on a new, more inclusive, more democratic culture of dignity and respect.”

Sir Keir said he would be guided by “a burning desire to stand up for the powerless” as he recalled his past as a radical lawyer fighting for trade unions and marching against the Iraq War.

But he said Labour could only win if it looks to the future, adding: “Endless Conservative rule isn’t inevitable, but neither is a Labour victory.

Rebecca Long-Bailey, Lisa Nandy and Sir Keir Starmer speak at a Labour leadership hustings in Glasgow last week (Getty)

“Another future is possible, but we have to unite as a party and as a movement to fight for it.”

Meanwhile, Ms Long-Bailey said the next election must be “a climate election” as she sought to unite the wings of the Labour party behind her plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

“That next election will take place after four more years of a rapidly warming planet, more frequent extreme weather, like flooding and fires, and by the looks of it, a flatlining economy and inaction from the Tory government,” Ms Long-Bailey writes in The Independent.

“We must turn the next election into a climate election. Our Green Industrial Revolution will bring together a broad, winning coalition because it can improve people’s lives and help them realise their dreams.

“It’s not a feel-good add on, it’s aspirational socialism in action. People want a better life for their children than they had – that’s aspiration – but we can only secure that together – and that’s socialism.”

The Salford and Eccles MP said she understood the frustrations of so-called “red wall” voters in the north and the midlands, who deserted Labour for the Tories at the election.

Ms Long-Bailey said: “I know what it’s like to be told you will never get to where you want to be, that you don’t have the right background or the right CV.

“I’ve felt what it’s like to have obstacles placed in the way of your hopes and aspirations – and those of your community. That’s why I know that in 2024 I can win back areas we lost and new ones too.”

Lisa Nandy, the final candidate, accused previous Labour leaders of treating its traditional voters as “irrational or racist” on immigration over the past 20 years.

The Wigan MP said Labour had shown a “shallowness” of understanding over concerns about immigration in working class areas and a “lack of courage” in providing answers.

The new Labour leader and deputy will be announced on 4 April.