Keir Starmer insists he is not a 'Blair copycat' after Tories slam Labour leader for being a 'serial promise breaker' as he unveils pledges in run up to the election

The Labour leader insisted he is not a 'Blair copycat' and rejected accusations he had scaled back his ambitions in government as he unveiled the party's 1997-style election pledges yesterday.

Handing out pledge cards and posing for pictures in a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, Sir Keir Starmer welcomed comparisons between himself and the former prime minister – but said 2024 was a 'very different moment' from when Tony Blair came to power.

But the Labour leader was accused by the Tories of being a 'serial promise breaker' as he announced his six 'first steps for change' if they win the election.

The vows, which include cracking down on antisocial behaviour and launching a border security command to break up small boat gangs, are a far cry from the ten promises he ran on during his campaign for the Labour leadership in 2020.

Sir Keir insisted he could still be trusted by voters and that the six pledges were a ‘downpayment’ on the five broader missions he set out last year.

Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) welcomed comparisons between himself and the former prime minister – but said 2024 was a 'very different moment' from when Tony Blair came to power

Sir Keir is still close with former PM Tony Blair (pictured) - the pair are said to meet 'reasonably frequently' – but he denied imitating his fellow centrist

But Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden said his speech was 'devoid of any plan for Britain', adding: 'Sir Keir Starmer is a serial promise breaker who doesn't have the courage or conviction to stick to a single pledge he has ever made.

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'Just look at his last pledge card, which he abandoned the second he got the chance.

'His unfunded spending, higher taxes and amnesty for illegal migrants would take Britain back to square one.'

In what was widely seen as an election campaign launch, Sir Keir unveiled marketing material in marginal constituencies across the country in a familiar pose.

In 1997, ahead of Labour's landslide victory, Mr Blair could be seen on posters with his sleeves rolled up alongside a caption: 'Because Britain deserves better.'

Sir Keir is still close with the former PM – the pair are said to meet 'reasonably frequently' – but he denied imitating his fellow centrist.

'The first thing I'd say about Tony Blair, other than he took his tie off at big events, is that he won three elections in a row,' he said.

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden (pictured) said his speech was 'devoid of any plan for Britain'

'Everybody has been trying to say which leader are you most like, who do you have secretly tattooed on the inside of your arm – it is none of them.

'Some of the things that are important about winning power are the same. It's not copycat. We are 27 years on from 1997. The challenges we faced not are not same as faced by Tony Blair.'

Last week saw Labour secure its largest polling lead since the Liz Truss era – 30 points ahead of the Tories – after a strong set of local elections.

But the party has lost some of its traditional voter base, especially Muslims and progressives, over its stance on the Gaza conflict and the fact Sir Keir has discarded his leadership vows.

Promises in 2020 to increase taxes on the top 5 per cent of earners, scrap tuition fees and abolish Universal Credit are all among pledges to be thrown to the wayside. When asked about losing traditionally loyal voters, Sir Keir said: 'You don't have to be tribally Labour to want your country to improve.'

Last night, Labour environment spokesman Steve Reed admitted the pledge to set up Great British Energy may be prohibitively expensive, with the Trades Union Congress saying it may need £82billion by 2035 to scale up.

But a Labour spokesman said: 'The cost of GB Energy is £8.3billion, fully funded by our windfall tax on the oil and gas giants making record profits at the expense of the British people.'