Sir Keir Starmer says hope that Labour can win next election is now a 'belief'

Sir Keir Starmer tells ITV News' Deputy Political Editor, Anushka Asthana, why he is confident Labour will make it back to Downing Street under his leadership.

It no longer feels "impossible" for Labour to win the next election, Sir Keir Starmer has told ITV News, as his "hope" of gaining the keys to Number 10 turns into "belief" following the party conference.

The Labour leader's renewed confidence comes as Prime Minister Liz Truss's economic plan descends into chaos, with Sir Keir urging for Parliament to be recalled and the mini-budget reversed.

In a wide-ranging interview, Sir Keir also admitted he is "not embarrassed" that Labour has never had a female leader, but said there should "absolutely" be a woman at the head of the party in the future.

As Labour surges ahead in the polls and as confidence dips in the government's economic strategy with the Bank of England taking emergency measures, Sir Keir believes the party is finally in a position to make it back to Downing Street.

"We've done a huge amount of work to change the Labour party over the last two years," he told ITV News in Liverpool.

"And the polls are reflecting that, the confidence is reflecting that. 

"I know we've got to earn every vote but nobody is now saying to me it's impossible for Labour to win the next election.

"In fact, a hope of winning has turned into a belief that we will win."

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However, he admitted that Labour would "inherit a very bad situation" as he accused the government of "losing control of the economy" following a decade of poor growth.

The Bank of England (BoE) launched an emergency government bond-buying programme on Wednesday after fears over Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget sent the pound tumbling, caused mortgage lenders to halt deals, and threw the markets into turmoil.

Sir Keir said Parliament must be recalled "immediately" and called for the chancellor's mini-budget to be reversed "before any more damage is done".

But he stopped short of calling for Mr Kwarteng to resign.

"This is a self-inflicted wound," he said. "Sometimes, the economy is in turbulence because of some international event that couldn't be predicted."

Pressed on how the difficult economic conditions were affecting his own mortgage, Sir Keir admitted he too was paying "a number of hundreds of pounds" more.

The Labour leader admitted he too is feeling the brunt of a tough economic outlook.

However, he said he was not "pleading a special case" and that his main concern are the "millions of people who are really up against it with their mortgage, prices going up, pension [and] their energy bills".

Elsewhere, the Labour leader was asked if he was "embarrassed" there hasn't ever been a female leader of the Labour party, while the Conservatives have had three.

"I'm not embarrassed because we're the party that has done huge things when it comes to equality," he said.

Sir Keir was challenged on why there has never been a female Labour leader.

"I've got powerful women around - we've got the most diverse Parliamentary Labour Party.

"But if the challenge to me is do we need a future leader of the Labour Party as a woman, I would say absolutely, yes."

And in a hit back at critics who label the Labour leader as "boring", Sir Keir provided a brief insight to his private life.

'The most exciting thing when I get home is seeing my children'.

"I'll tell you the most exciting thing when I get home is seeing my children. I've got a boy who's 14 [and] a little girl who's 11. It'll be fantastic, that is exciting.

"If other people think that's dull that's up to them but I'm very excited to see them.

"And by the way I don't think losing control of the economy is exciting and I don't suppose many millions of people watching this think it's exciting either."