Starmer’s ‘levelling up’ hopes may be held back by strict tax and spending policy

Labour leader stole Boris Johnson's slogan and promised not to 'prey on voters' hopes' of real change, but admitted he can't 'turn the taps on' for cash-strapped councils

There was also new policy as Starmer set out a vision to effectively continue Johnson’s levelling up agenda, which Angela Rayner argued in her introduction had been left a “burnt-out shell” under Rishi Sunak. Councils that are not part of devolved combined authorities will also be asked to begin work on joining together with neighbours as a precursor to getting their own mayors and powers.

Taking questions after his speech in Dudley – where Johnson launched his levelling up plan – Starmer was peppered with questions about whether Labour will fill the £4bn funding black hole that local authorities, which have had their budgets cut by 27 per cent under the Tories, say they face.The Labour leader also insisted that pretending otherwise amounted to “preying on hopes” as “the Tories did with levelling up”.

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