Keir Starmer says nursery schools "should probably close, yes" – he want to talk to the scientists about it
On why he didn't call for school closures earlier: "I didn't want to close schools, I’m not going to shy away from that." Stresses impact of digital divide.
Asked whether he should apologise to unions on schools, Starmer says "we all owe them an apology" after they worked so hard over Christmas on preparations
On whether the reopening of schools is contingent on teachers being vaccinated, Starmer says “I don’t know that it necessarily is" – but that would be a good thing
On whether there is any part of the Brexit deal he would reopen, Starmer says “there are bits already that need to be improved on" – e.g. creative industries, service sector – "but I don’t think there’s scope for major renegotiation"
On whether he would bring back freedom of movement: "I don’t think there’s an argument for reopening those aspects of the treaty". Adds: "The last thing anybody wants – including the EU – is to start again from scratch with this treaty."
Starmer says "pretending to the British public that somehow … the treaty that has just been secured is up for grabs – that is not realistic, that is not going to happen"
Should everybody have free broadband? “I actually think we should target those who most need it in the immediate weeks” And in the long run? "In the long run, we'll have to see what the situation is in 2024"
On debt, Starmer says: "we're going to have to reassess debt, we're at huge debt, huge borrowing" – but won't offer details yet, saying principles are "secure our economy, protect the NHS and rebuild our country"
Universal Credit? "yes, UC needs to be scrapped"
On Boris Johnson saying it should be another 40 years before Scots get vote on independence, Starmer says "I heard the PM say that and I don't agree with him on that"
Has he spoken to Biden yet? "No"
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
