Keir Starmer's big Labour manifesto moment ruined by furious protester
The Labour leader was interrupted by a demonstrator as he spoke at his party's manifesto launch.
Keir Starmer interrupted by 'heckler' at manifesto launch
Sir Keir Starmer was heckled by climate protester as he unveiled Labour's General Election manifesto today.
The Labour leader had just taken to the stage at the event in Manchester when a woman in the audience began shouting before being bundled out.
Holding up a banner that read "Youth deserve better," she said: "My generation is being let down by the Labour Party and this manifesto.
"You say that you're offering change but it's the same old Tory policies.
"We need better. The climate can't wait. We need a green new deal now."
Sir Keir responded: "Thank you very much. We gave up on being a party of protest five years ago, we want to be a party in power."
He added: "That's not in the script, but that is part of the change."
The Labour leader was given a round of applause by the audience as he continued his speech.
The Green New Deal Rising campaign group, which described itself as a movement of young people fighting for climate justice, said it was behind the action.
The group named the protester as 27-year-old Alice, who said in a statement: "I disrupted the Labour Party's manifesto launch today because I feel so betrayed and disappointed by what the Labour Party is offering at this election...
"The next parliament really is our last chance to put in place the kind of policies that will make a real difference to stopping catastrophic climate change and making people's quality of life better. But all Labour is offering is warm words and tinkering around the edges.
"As young people we won't forget that in the last years we had to secure a liveable future for our generation, the Labour Party turned its back on us. At this election our movement is organising to demand a Green New Deal - a plan for decent jobs, warm homes, and a future that we can look forward to."
In his launch speech, Sir Keir said Labour had produced a "manifesto for wealth creation, a plan to change Britain", adding: "Today we can lay a new foundation of stability and on that foundation we can start to rebuild Britain."
