Sir Keir Starmer: "Labour is On Your Side.

The local May 5 elections in England are just around the corner. These elections are not a general election but they can be used as a benchmark for the popularity of the government. Also, for Labour, to see how well it is getting through to voters as a serious and credible government in waiting.

Labour's leader Sir Keir Starmer was on a tour of northwest England accompanied yesterday by his deputy Angela Rayner. Mr Starmer is getting out on the campaign trail to get Labour's message out to ordinary people.

One of the main things Labour is talking about is the cost of living. While energy companies have made fantastic profits people today are worrying about their bills. The government has put in place measures supposedly to help hard-pressed families. For a start, energy consumers will be given a £200 loan to help them with gas and electricity. The downside, however, is that this loan must be paid back over 3 years. The government is also offering a £150 one-off payment to help people with their council tax bills.

Sir Keir has called the government's response to the energy price hike "pathetic". In the May 5 local elections, Sir Keir has called on voters to elect Labour councillors up and down the country. To send a message to the government led by Boris Johnson that his government's response to the cost of living crisis is not enough.

Labour would take £600 off bills by having a windfall tax on gas and oil companies from their profits.

Labour says, families face being thousands of pounds worse off. Again Sir Keir called the government's response to this woefully "inadequate". If people turn to Labour it will send a message to the government that "Britain deserves better" than what the government is offering.

Labour is also campaigning on the 800 personnel laid off by ferry company 'P & O'. Employees working on ships were made redundant by video messages. Employees were rightly outraged by this and their union highlighted their plight. P & O said it could not afford to keep on its 800 employees. It had replacement workers ready to take over the jobs its former employees were doing. These new employees are prepared to work for lower wages. The government itself has said the 800 employees must be re-instated or the government would take 'P & O' to court. Labour said the laying off of the 'P & O' workers would not have happened on its watch. Labour will continue to hold the government's feet to the fire on this issue.

Gas and electricity prices were already rising across the world. The war between Ukraine and Russia has made energy prices even higher. Most of Europe is in hock to Russia as it sells gas and oil to countries like Germany. The western world right now is trying to uncouple itself from Russian gas and oil. The West is looking for alternative sources of fuel. Boris Johnson recently flew to Saudi Arabia as a source of gas and oil instead of Russia. But as Sir Keir Starmer wryly observed, "Boris has gone from one dictator (Vladimir Putin) to Saudi Arabia, an equally despotic regime".

For their part, the Conservatives in answer to Sir Keir's barbs said "whoever was in power, there would still be an energy crisis". Of course, they are correct in their assessment because whoever was in government there would still be an energy crisis.

However, how the Tories are dealing with the energy crisis and how Labour would show the difference in approaches. The Conservatives despite what they say are for the rich and the powerful. Whereas Labour is and always has been for the less fortunate amongst us.