‘Why we’re pissed off with Tories’ – cancer-stricken sir to David Cameron’s pal

Voters spoke of their frustration with the state of the country after years of Tory chaos as Labour fired the starting gun on the general election campaign.

Keir Starmer unveiled six pledges to voters today, which he said were the “first steps” to changing Britain for the better. At a rally in Purfleet, Essex, the Labour leader was flanked by members of his top team and activists as he promised to bring and end to the decline and hopelessness wrought by 14 years of Conservative rule.

Members of the public threw their weight behind the promises, including lifelong Tory Haruna Hamza, 49, said he was going to vote Labour for the first time as the Conservatives have let the country down.

The dad-of-two, who works as a security manager and lives in Thurrock constituency, said he became fed up with his bills rocketing and public services buckling under demand. Recently, he took his daughter to the dentist to have a tooth removed but he was told it could take a year to get an appointment.

“Those are the kind of things which became a turning point for me, saying I’m fed up of the whole situation,” he said. “Enough was enough to be honest. It was false hope given to me, nothing changed and it was the same thing over and over again.”

Here are the backers of Labour’s six pledges.

1. Economy

An old Etonian friend of David Cameron who was in the elite Oxford Bullingdon Club with the ex-PM and Boris Johnson endorsed Labour. Sebastian James, who is the chief executive of Boots, lauded the party’s plans for economic stability.

The businessman, whose full name is the Right Hon Sebastian Richard Edward Cuthbert James, said the most important thing for a business like Boots was “stability”. “Stable economy provides the right platform for sustainable economic growth,” he said.

He added: “We of course welcome sensible fiscal measures to help put more money in people’s pockets and grow the economy.”

2. NHS

Music teacher Nathaniel Dye said he was left languishing on NHS waiting lists before being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer at the age of just 36.

“It’s all but certain that I’ll be dead within three to four years,” he told the rally.

“I try not to think about what might have been if all the tests, scans and appointments had happened more quickly. But I know I waited over 100 days for treatment when the government’s target is 62, and there’s a good chance that time spent on waiting lists has cut my life in half.”

Mr Dye, from Ilford, said he wasn’t angry with NHS staff who are “struggling to maintain a system at breaking point”.

But he said Labour, under Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who himself went through cancer treatment on the NHS, offered hope for others.

3. Borders

Former counter terror police chief Neil Basu said he had watched the flow of small boats over the Channel “with a mixture of despair and fury”. He said: “More lives will be lost unless there’s decisive action to dismantle the gangs and disrupt their evil operations.

“There’s no evidence that the Rwanda scheme will stop the gangs and deter migrants from getting in their boats.” He said Labour’s plans for a new Border Security Command “gets serious about breaking the global business model of evil criminal gangs profiting from human misery”.

4. Energy

Pensioner Gary described how he can only afford to heat one room, forcing him to sleep in a recliner chair. “I’ve lived here all my life in this house, and I have never struggled so much to keep this house warm,” he said in a video message.

“The energy prices go up that much it’s ridiculous. I’m on my own. I’ve got my pension coming in and I just can’t manage. I’ve just been heating in this one room. I’ve been sleeping in a recliner chair, I can’t afford to heat anywhere else.”

Olwen, a new mum, said she was having to use her savings to pay the bills after going down to just her partner’s income. She said: “’I’ve just had a baby, which is wonderful. But some of that has been really stressful because we were used to having two incomes, and so we’re having to draw on our savings just to pay the bills, each month.”

She said she had recently got a better paid job but cost of living pressures have left her worse off. “I feel like it’s a shame, and I feel quite upset and angry that I’m not able to provide for my growing family,” she said.

5. Anti-social behaviour

Danny said he suffered sleepless nights after being plagued by anti-social behaviour. In a video message, he said yobs had stolen his car exhaust and come to his house to try to steal his car keys.

“I’ve seen a number of people sit in a car outside of my house, looking at my house and my neighbours around me, and also driving up and down the road quite slowly looking at the houses too,” he said.

“I’ve called the police and they’ve just asked that I remain vigilant, and if anything serious was to happen, to call the emergency response team at 999. “This has left me feeling really worried and anxious and as a result, I often don’t sleep until the early hours of the morning, just to ensure the safety of my family and my house.”

6. Teachers

Student Tito Molukwu described how an inspirational teacher gave her the courage to pursue her dreams. The 22-year-old, who is studying at the London School of Economics and dreams of being Prime Minister, described how her Year 10 tutor “gave each and every student her complete attention, treating each student as uniquely gifted and worthy of achieving their dreams”.

Praising Labour’s vow to recruit 6,500 more teachers, she said: “I would not be here if it was not for those Year 10 form times.”