Keir Starmer gloats over Iceland boss defecting to Labour

Sir Keir Starmer grabbed himself an Iceland discount as we speak because the frozen meals chain’s bold multi-millionaire boss defected to Labour – after the Tories refused to present him a secure seat. 

Richard Walker, the chief chairman of the grocery store and a former conservative donor, stop the celebration final October in a blow to Rishi Sunak.

It was later revealed that he had demanded a secure seat on the subsequent election, however the Tories had refused to bend their choice guidelines for him. 

Today he gave his backing to Labour, saying the celebration was the ‘proper alternative’ for enterprise and voters.

Mr Walker instructed the BBC this morning that the nation is ‘in a multitude’ and accused the Conservatives of getting ‘failed the nation’. 

But it can increase questions on what Sir Keir has supplied the businessman in return for his defection. While Mr Walker stated he can be supporting Labour on the subsequent normal election, he stated he was not changing into a celebration member. 

A Tory supply instructed MailOnline: ‘Walker is supporting Labour as a result of the Conservatives refused to avoid choice guidelines at hand him a secure seat regardless of an intense marketing campaign which went so far as getting his dad to put in writing to the celebration on his behalf. This simply proves the celebration was proper.

‘Given his clear lack of rules he ought to slot in properly with Sir Keir Starmer.’

Richard Walker, the chief chairman of the grocery store and a former conservative donor, stop the celebration final October in a blow to Rishi Sunak.

Today he gave his backing to Labour, saying the celebration was the ‘proper alternative’ for enterprise and voters.

The Labour chief, who is ready to go to a department of Iceland later to satisfy employees and buyers, welcomed the endorsement.

Writing in The Guardian, he stated: ‘Labour is the precise alternative for the communities throughout the nation the place Iceland operates – and the precise alternative for everybody in enterprise who desires to see this nation develop and prosper.’ 

The Iceland chairman praised Sir Keir for having ‘remodeled’ his celebration within the wake of Jeremy Corbyn‘s management and stated the Labour chief understands pressures going through households.

Mr Walker delivered a blow to Mr Sunak by quitting the Tories at first of their annual convention in Manchester in October. 

He claimed the Tories tried to ‘gag’ him from being outspoken on points corresponding to meals banks and sewage and fumed at being instructed to ‘pipe down’ throughout his efforts to change into a Conservative MP.

He claimed the celebration was ‘drifting out of contact’ with each enterprise and voters, whereas he additionally lashed out on the ‘sluggish economic system’ and ‘excessive ranges of regional inequality’.

But it later emerged he had pleaded with Mr Sunak to be a Tory election candidate simply months beforehand.

In a letter to the PM, Mr Walker detailed his ‘fervent want’ to hitch the listing of authorised Tory candidates.

He wrote that he had ‘performed every part’ requested of him by the celebration ‘and extra’.

This included supporting the Tories within the media and ‘protecting my distance from any coverage space or organisation that could be at odds with the celebration’s place’,’ he added.

The 43-year-old pleaded with Rishi Sunak to be a Tory election candidate in a letter lower than a yr in the past.

But he modified his tune as we speak as he got here out in favour of Labour.    

Sir Keir, Mr Walker wrote, ‘demonstrates a compassion and concern for the much less lucky that contrasts very favourably with the perspective of most of his opponents’.

‘He completely will get it after I speak to him about the way in which that the price of dwelling disaster has put insufferable pressure on the funds of so lots of my prospects and their households, and the pressing want for a authorities that does every part in its energy to ease their burden.’

While Mr Walker stated he can be supporting Labour on the subsequent normal election, he stated he was not changing into a celebration member.

The Labour chief, who is ready to go to a department of Iceland later to satisfy employees and buyers, welcomed the endorsement.

He stated: ‘The work that he and his colleagues at Iceland have performed to assist prospects by the price of dwelling disaster has been commendable.

‘With Labour, buyers and store employees will get a good deal. We’ll deal with the price of dwelling disaster, get Britain’s economic system rising once more and get our nation’s future again.’