Squirming Starmer defends junking his major pledges and blames ‘reality’ for U-turns on tuition fees and child benefits

SIR Keir Starmer has become known as a major flip-flopper since he became leader of the Labour Party.

Here The Sun takes a look at some of his most blatant U-turns.

BREXIT

Sir Keir spent the entire 2017 parliament trying to reverse Brexit.

When he ran as Labour leader in 2020, Sir Keir did not repeat his call for a second referendum on Brexit, but he did endorse freedom of movement. After becoming leader, he said he would not cross the red line of accepting freedom of movement for EU citizens under any future negotiation of post-Brexit trading arrangements with Brussels. He has however pledged a closer trading relationship with Brussels.

NATIONALISATION

When he ran for the Labour leadership, Sir Keir vowed to bring public services, including rail, mail, energy and water, into “common ownership".

But the pledge didn't last long. As early as September 2021, he ruled out nationalising the six big energy companies and in July 2022, shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves ditched the commitment to nationalise more public services in one fell swoop.

The party still intends to bring train operators into public ownership but only when current franchises expire.

OUTSOURCING

One of Sir Keir's other leadership pledges included putting an end the involvement of the private sector in the NHS. Again, it didn't last long as it was dropped in the summer of 2022, with Sir Keir saying the party would have to continue with some level or private provision in the health service.

TUITION FEES

Sir Keir promised he would end the "national scandal" of student debt by abolishing tuition fees in 2020.

Changing his stance, he said the country found itself in a “different financial situation”.

GREEN PROSPERITY PLAN

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to invest £28 billion a year on green projects when she addressed the first in-person conference under Sir Keir back in 2021.

But in one of the most screeching U-turns, Labour announced in February it would spend just over £4.7bn a year.