TORIES LABEL STARMER 'PART-TIME PRIME MINISTER' AFTER DIARY CONFESSION
The Tories have labelled Sir Keir Starmer a 'part-time Prime Minister' after the Labour leader confessed he does not fill his diary 24/7.
But he urged voters to give his party a big majority as he claimed it would be 'better for the country' as 'it means we can roll up our sleeves and get on with the change we need'.
With just three days to go until he is expected to take one of the most demanding jobs in the country, Sir Keir said he tries not to work after 6pm on a Friday night.
The Conservatives took the opportunity to attack Sir Keir's admission that he clocks off saying the country 'deserves better'.
Rishi Sunak also seized on his opponent's comments, telling reporters: 'I haven't finished at six ever.'
In a wide-reaching interview with The Times, Sir Keir insisted he would be a 'serious Prime Minister' if he enters No 10 this Friday as the polls are the predicting.
And he appealed for a 'strong mandate' so he could make difficult decisions to give a boost to the economy.
'It's the mindset change we've talked about,' he said. 'Do we need a strong mandate for that? Yes, we do.
'Because these changes are difficult and the sense of the whole country wanting those changes is important in terms of the platform on which we stand to take the country forward.'
Sir Keir, who has a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter with his wife Victoria, told Virgin Radio he was more relaxed after spending time with his children.
'We've had a strategy in place and we'll try to keep to it, which is to carve out really protected time for the kids, so on a Friday – I've been doing this for years – I will not do a work-related thing after six o'clock, pretty well come what may.
'There are a few exceptions, but that's what we do.'
The Conservative Party leapt on the comments to launch an attack on social media as they wrote: 'Keir Starmer has said he'd clock off work at 6pm if he became prime minister.
'You deserve better than a part-time prime minister. The only way to prevent this is to vote Conservative on Thursday.'
And Tory mayor of the Tees Valley Ben Houchen warned Sir Keir's deputy, Angela Rayner, would be left in charge.
'Angela Rayner in charge of the country because Slippery Starmer needs his beauty sleep. God forbid the Government need to do anything after 6pm.'
Sir Keir said his son and daughter are his 'pride and joy' and 'I don't want to lose that time'.
He said that in politics 'some people think, if you fill your diary 24/7 and don't do anything else, that makes you a much better decision-maker'.
'I don't agree with that, I think you've got to make space, so we do it.'
He told The Times how he had considered putting his kids in contact with the children of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for them to discuss what it's like living in Downing Street.
But he ruled it out as 'if they didn't have a good experience, I thought that would reinforce a concern for our children'.
'It's a big change,' he said. 'And it wouldn't be fair to me to say there isn't a degree of apprehension on their part. You can imagine the impact if you're 13 or 16.'
If Sir Keir wins the election and enters No 10, he would be expected to work at all hours – with the job often requiring late night decisions, from the signing of warrants for arrests to authorising urgent military action.
In the interview with Virgin Radio's Chris Evans, who used to play football with the Labour leader, Sir Keir also suggested his children appeared unimpressed with his political career.
After winning a Spectator politician of the year award, he said his son asked 'How did you blag that, then?'.
And when he was speaking at a fundraising dinner his daughter asked: 'Why would anyone pay to hear you speak?'
'They keep me very, very grounded,' Sir Keir said.
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