'Come to Pontefract and explain how you're levelling up' - Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenges government

The Labour leader said the government needed to deliver on its pre-election promises of 2019 to deliver better infrastructure and more parity between the regions.

Sir Keir was speaking on a trip to Pontefract on the last day of this year's local election campaign, where he met with volunteers at St Mary's Community Centre in the town.

He backed Labour's candidate to be the first ever metro mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, ahead of Thursday's vote.

He said: "I hear the Government talking of levelling up. They should come here and explain to families what they actually mean by levelling up.

"Because talk is fine but action is not happening."

"What we need here more than anything is a local voice who will stand up for all communities across West Yorkshire.

"Tracy will be that voice for those communities and they need it."

Despite national polls making grim reading for Labour this week, Sir Keir insisted that voters he'd met with "are listening and are positive" about the party.

He added: "We've got a mountain to climb to put the Labour Party in a position where it can win the next General Election and as party leader I'm utterly determined to do that.

"If we have Tracy elected as mayor that will show the best evidence of what a difference it makes when Labour's in power."

Local Democracy Reporting Service