"Labour must move from the protest party to power - then empower the workers"

Writing exclusively for the Sunday Mirror, Labor leader Keir Starmer says he supports the right to strike - and his support has gone "beyond feeling and a photoshoot - I backed my words with deeds"

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Image: PA)

Everywhere you look in Britain you see the record of 12 years of Conservative government.

Salary freeze. Utilities on their knees. Household bills through the roof.

Across the country, people are working harder but getting less in return.

None of this was inevitable.

It is because of a decade of stagnation that we have been overtaken by our competitors abroad.

Britain is stuck thanks to a succession of Conservative governments and the choices they have made.

Leaders should bow their heads in shame. And as Boris Johnson stooges, that includes Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Simply candidates for continuity. Unable to offer the necessary change.

Families are already making huge sacrifices just to make ends meet. The prospect of further spikes in energy prices later this year leaves people angry and scared.

"Only in power can Labor bring about the changes that unions and workers want to see" (

Picture:

Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

To anyone reading this who has this feeling, I have a simple message: the job is on your side.

The reason I spent months pushing for a windfall tax on oil and gas profits - even when people told me it couldn't be done - was because improving lives everyday people across the country is the reason I'm in this job.

And that will be my goal as Prime Minister.

When my Labor government is in power, you won't feel alone when times get tough.

I fully understand why people go on strike for better wages and better conditions. I support their right to do so.

When I was a lawyer, I represented striking miners for free. Not just a sentiment and photo opp. I backed up my words with deeds.

I now lead a Labor Party that wants to change lives and give Britain the fresh start it needs.

It means going from a protest party to a party that can win power – and then giving that power to workers. I make no apologies.

Investing in new sectors, partnering with companies and making sure everyone benefits.

Only in power can Labor make the changes that unions and...