SIR KEIR STARMER’S independent left challenger Andrew Feinstein has launched a “people’s manifesto” promising alternative policies to the Labour leader’s offer of austerity and war.
Mr Feinstein, fighting to wrest Holborn and St Pancras from Sir Keir at the general election, said the manifesto, drawn up after consultation with community organisations in Camden, would address people’s real needs, including the housing crisis and the collapse of the NHS as well as opposition to the Gaza genocide.
A poll by Survation has revealed that most local people have struggled to get a GP appointment in the last year, nearly half have had to cut down on basic food purchases and heating, while more than one in 10 now use a foodbank.
Overall, 72 per cent of voters in the constituency say their quality of life is deteriorating.
Mr Feinstein said: "The people of Camden deserve better than a choice between austerity in a red or blue tie.
“Keir Starmer’s Labour promises change but in almost a decade with him as our MP we’ve seen conditions worsen.
“What we haven’t seen is our MP fighting for local people on all these issues.”
The independent challenger has won backing from the borough’s trades council, which has welcomed his candidacy.
It noted in a statement that “Starmer has abandoned virtually all the pledges made in his campaign to become Labour leader.
“On numerous issues, ranging from Israel’s relentless war on Gaza to the funding of public services and opposition to NHS privatisation, Feinstein’s positions align closely with the trades council’s.”