Keir Starmer during a visit to Global Brands in Claycross, Chesterfield, Derbyshire (Image: PA)
Sir Keir Starmer defended himself yesterday amid Conservative attacks that his desire to clock off at 6pm on Fridays means he will be a "part-time Prime Minister".
Speaking to reporters from an alcoholic drinks factory in Derbyshire today, Sir Keir claimed that allegations he will be a four-day-a-week Prime Minister are “laughably pathetic”, even going so far as to imply they could be founded on anti-Jewish ignorance.
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The Labour leader pointed out that his wife’s side of the family is Jewish, and he often joins his in-laws for “family prayers”.
Sir Keir added: “That doesn’t mean I’ve never had to work on a Friday - of course I’ve done so plenty of times.
“I’d like to try and protect it in the future, but I know very well that’s going to be difficult to do.”
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Keir Starmer Makes Final Push For Labour Support In Midlands (Image: Getty)
This morning the Government’s independent adviser on anti-Semitism Lord Mann, a former Labour MP, joined in the furore by labelling the attacks as “dangerous” and “insidious”.
He said: “The attack on Keir Starmer for asserting his right to family time on a Friday night, as he has done for many, many years, is so dangerous.
“So insidious from those aware of why he chooses to be with his family specifically on Friday evenings.”
Responding to Lord Mann’s comments, Sir Keir said the peer “knows what he’s talking about and why he said what he said”.
He said: “I would have thought to anybody it is blindingly obvious that Friday night is quite important in some religions and faiths”.
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Sir Keir spent much of the day touring the East Midlands, targeting seats won by the Tories in 2019 with majorities of around 15,000.
For the first time, he set a target on how well Labour will have to do in Thursday's election.
Speaking on a factory floor, the Labour leader said he both needs and wants a "strong mandate" in retaliation to Tory warnings about Sir Keir potentially winning a "super majority" and the public having no real opposition to hold the new government to account.
Asked by one worker whether voters should fear a Labour supermajority, Sir Keir insisted he needed a sizeable win on Thursday to prove he has a mandate for his programme of changes.
He argued: "Given the country is pretty broken at the moment - a lot of things aren't working - there's a big job for us to do, and we need a strong mandate for that."
"We need to know that the country genuinely wants this change... the mandate is important to us, if we're honest, because I want to know that people do want to change their lives to get on and do it".
Later however he dodged questions about whether or not he would consider it a strong mandate if he wins a sizeable majority but with a smaller percentage of the vote than Jeremy Corbyn won in 2017.
Polls at the moment suggest Sir Keir will fail to break above 40% support on Thursday, but could be handed the biggest majority in one hundred years.
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