Keir Starmer hit by sound issues in first major speech of the year

Sir Keir Starmer has battled with sound issues in his first major speech of the year, drawing comparisons with a “Dalek” before audio of the broadcast cut out completely.

The Labour leader was speaking in Stratford, east London, a day after prime minister Rishi Sunak set out his own vision for the country.

Outlining his own blueprint for Britain, Sir Keir vowed that a future Labour government would not “spend our way out” of the “mess” inherited from the Conservatives.

But in the live clips broadcast by the BBC and Sky News, the audio was frequently distorted, rendering parts of Sir Keir’s speech hard to follow.

Less than five minutes into the oration, the audio on the broadcast cut out entirely, prompting the BBC to apologise to its viewers and both broadcasters to narrate over the top of the video, as Sir Keir continued to speak noiselessly.

The Labour Party has said that the technological fault lay with broadcasters – which typically share “pooled” footage captured by one outlet – rather than with the party itself.

The sound issues did not go unnoticed by viewers, with comedian Friz Frizzle writing on Twitter: “Keir Starmer giving his speech live from inside a Dalek, I guess.”

However, the substance and delivery of the Labour leader’s speech were widely well-received by commentators and journalists as “audacious” and “clever”.

Among the most striking aspects of the speech came as Sir Keir announced he was reappropriating Vote Leave’s Brexit slogan of “Take Back Control” for the name of a proposed new devolution bill to “spread control out of Westminster”.

Recalling that he “couldn’t disagree with the basic case” by Leave voters as he campaigned for Remain in 2016, he said: “It’s not unreasonable for us to recognise the desire for communities to stand on their own feet. It’s what ‘Take Back Control’ meant. The control people want is control over their lives and their community.

“So we will embrace the ‘Take Back Control’ message but we’ll turn it from a slogan to a solution. From a catchphrase into change. We will spread control out of Westminster. Devolve new powers over employment support, transport, energy, climate change, housing, culture, childcare provision and how councils run their finances. And we’ll give communities a new right to request powers which go beyond this.

“All this will be in a new Take Back Control Bill – a centrepiece of our first King’s speech. A Bill that will deliver on the demand for a new Britain. A new approach to politics and democracy. A new approach to growth and our economy.”

Elsewhere in the speech, Sir Keir said a Labour government would repeal any new anti-strike legislation imposed by the Conservatives, and repeated his call for a general election “straight away”.

Pressed by The Times as he answered reporters’ questions, the Labour leader also suggested his leadership pledge to abolish tuition fees may need to be reconsidered because of the “damage that has been done to economy”.