Starmer: I will have energy to be PM when I’m 71

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will still have enough energy to be prime minister at the age of 71, saying he wants to be in office for a decade.

The Labour leader said “of course” when asked if he would like to stay prime minister for ten years should his party win next week’s general election.

Making reference to his party’s promise of a “decade of national renewal”, he told ITV in an interview to be broadcast on Thursday: “Oh, I want to see that through. It’s my phrase.”

When it was put to him that he would be 71 in a decade’s time, he replied: “I’m determined to see this through. I’ve certainly got the energy...”

At the start of the campaign, the Tories attempted to instil the idea in voters’ minds that Sir Keir was “sleepy” and lacking in energy at age 61 when compared with the 44-year-old Rishi Sunak. They dropped the idea when it did not take off with voters.

If he wins the election next week, Sir Keir will have to work with an 81-year-old US president in Joe Biden.

Donald Trump, who could take over in November, is 78.

Mr Biden has been nicknamed Sleepy Joe by Mr Trump, even though he is only three years younger.

There have been a number of events at which Mr Biden has been accused of being confused, for example, at international gatherings.

Labour has been accused of ageism over its plan to enforce retirement from the House of Lords at the age of 80.

Sir Keir also suggested that his government could see 2.5 per cent growth for the UK economy.

The Labour leader repeated his party’s pledge that he wanted to bring in “the highest sustained growth in the G7”.

“Under the last Labour government, we grew by about two and a half per cent,” he said.

When asked if he was looking for that kind of growth again, he replied: “Certainly, yes.”

Sir Keir’s hopes seem optimistic, with the International Monetary Fund predicting growth of just 0.5 per cent in 2024 and 1.5 per cent in 2025.

Growth is vital to Labour’s electoral offer because it has pledged not to put up the main taxes to pay for increased spending.

It raises the prospect that the party may not be able to afford better services if growth is lower than hoped.

Asked what his campaign slogan of change meant, he said: “A country that’s better off. More money in their front pocket.

“Reducing the burden on people in terms of the cost of living and creating the conditions through stability to ensure that we never go through a cost of living crisis like this ever again.”