Sir Keir Starmer promises to match ‘pride and ambition’ of Blackpool residents

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promised a Labour government would match the “pride and ambition” of Blackpool residents as he visited the seaside resort ahead of a by-election.

Sir Keir met Chris Webb, the party’s candidate for next month’s by-election, in the Lancashire town on Thursday.

He said: “Every time I’ve been here, I’ve been really struck by the pride and ambition that people in Blackpool have of their place.

“I was at the sixth-form college the time before last and spoke to 17-year-olds. They are really proud of their place.

“So, they have the pride and ambition. What they feel is the Government hasn’t invested in them and doesn’t match their pride and ambition.

“That’s the difference that we could make if we are able to form the next government, which is a government that understands that.”

Mr Webb, who would be the first Blackpool South MP born in the constituency in 60 years if elected, said residential areas in the town felt “forgotten about”.

He said the local foodbank was delivering 14,000 meals a week in the town, which has eight of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country according to 2019 indices of multiple deprivation produced by the Government.

“We see a levelling up of buildings but not levelling up of people,” Mr Webb said.

Sir Keir met residents at the Beach House Bar and Bistro on Blackpool Promenade and heard from Sylvia Culshaw, who told him she had set up the town’s foodbank because children were malnourished.

Speaking to local media, the Labour leader said the people of the town would not be “fooled” by gestures from the Conservative Government.

He said: “They know we need real change and they will judge the Government on whether it’s actually making material difference to them and their families on the ground.”

He added: “You’ve got the seafront here, then go two streets behind here and I don’t think you’ll find many people who feel that their life is better now after 14 years of this government than it was in 2010. I suspect you’ll find quite a lot who say things are going backwards.”

Sir Keir said a lack of funding for local authorities was the “complete opposite of levelling up” but said if elected, Labour could not “come in and turn on the money taps”.

But, he pledged to stabilise the economy and said there would be a “desperately needed” change in the division of funding and services for councils if Labour was in power.

The by-election is being held after Conservative MP Scott Benton resigned in the wake of a lobbying scandal.

Mr Webb said Mr Benton’s plan to re-open Blackpool Airport for passenger flights would not be a priority if he was elected.

He said: “We know from the feasibility study, it will cost £77 million to reopen the airport, that’s over £1,200 pound for every household.

“I don’t think that’s fair that that should be put on people’s council tax here that are already struggling and a council that’s already struggling.”

Voters will go to the polls in Blackpool South on May 2.