Boris Johnson interview live: Ex-prime minister says he regrets apologising for Partygate in ITV grilling

Unsurprisingly, the prime minister has been asked about the ongoing geopolitical row over the Chagos Islands.

Sir Keir Starmer defended the decision to return the territory to Mauritius claiming that the move ensures continued security of the Diego Garcia military base.

Responding to questions about the agreement, he told reporters in Liverpool: “The single most important thing was ensuring that we had a secure base, the joint US in particular, UK base, hugely important to the US, hugely important to us.

“We’ve now secured that and that is why you saw such warm words from the US yesterday.”

The prime minister has been challenged over his previous remarks regarding UK’s finances and a £22 billion black hole in public finances.

He said: “We’ve got to take difficult decisions in the Budget in relation to the missing money from the last government really tough decisions, like for example, the winter fuel payment, to stabilise the economy.

“Because I’m absolutely convinced that only by stabilising the economy, can we attract the investment that we need in relation to your challenge.”

He added: “In relation to your challenge, as it were, that aren’t we putting off investment, quite the opposite.”

Sir Keir Starmer is now taking questions from the press.

Someone reminded the prime minister that the carbon capture technology project is “not new” and it was a Conservative idea.

He replied: “The Tories spoke about this, but they did not put the money aside.”

Sir Keir added that his government’s attempt to seek private investment represents “the difference between invest or decline”

“We were elected for change,” he added.

Sir Keir Starmer hailed today’s investment announcement as a demonstration of “the politics of renewal in action”.

Addressing an audience at a glass manufacturing facility, he emphasised that the government is “fixing the foundations and providing a long-term industrial strategy”.

Reflecting on his past work as a lawyer for coal mining families during the industry’s decline under the Conservative government, he said: “I worked with families and communities who were going to lose their jobs in a really important industry, and I therefore know first hand what this country lost when we ended coal in that way.

“Because we lost jobs, we lost communities, we lost a way of life. I think we lost dignity, and we also, I think, lost identity.”

He added: “We are the first industrial nation. That’s who we are as a country. It’s our story. A source of pride that this country, our country, communities like here, changed the world. And that what is made here matters.

“You can’t take that away from people without a plan to replace it. It’s like losing a part of yourself, a missing limb, an open wound, a heart ripped out of the nation.”

In his address, the prime minister has revisited the familiar anecdote of his father, a toolmaker, while acknowledging it is now a political cliché.

He told the audience in Liverpool: “I’ve said many times my dad was a tool maker. He worked in a factory. But that matters to me, because until I went off to college, I didn’t even know any working environment other than a factory.”

Sir Keir Starmer then highlighted the significance of visiting workplaces like Encircled Glass across the country, adding: “What matters to me and to us as a government is what a difference it makes to your lives and the lives of other people who are doing jobs like you, not just now and next year, but into the future.

“And making sure that we have you and them in our mind’s eye when we make our decisions, because politics is about who are you thinking about when you’re making your decisions.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been speaking next.

She emphasised that carbon capture technology is pivotal not only for cleaning up industries but also for attracting investment.

She told workers in Liverpool: “We’re removing the barriers that stop investment so that we can get Britain building again.

“And our first international investment summit will take place in just ten days to bring new investment and more opportunities to the UK. That’s the change that this government is offering.”

Ed Miliband has declared that Britain has “blown its chance of industrial success” too often in the past, urging a renewed commitment to industrial policy.

Announcing £21.7 worth of investment for projects in Teesside and Merseyside, he said: “Too often in the past Britain has blown its chance of industrial success. We say today. Not this time.

“This government is committed to use every lever to win for Britain. This Government is committed to a proper industrial policy, and this government has a Chancellor who understands the importance of public and private investment to build the future Britain deserves.”

Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband are all at the event at Encircled Glass.

The energy secretary starts speaking first, declaring: “This is a historic week for Britain’s energy system.”