Sir Keir Starmer visits Swindon Morrisons on campaign trail

And Sir Keir Starmer brought a huge pack of Westminster journalists with him to the Dorcan Morrisons on Wednesday morning.

But while the likes of ITV’s Robert Peston and BBC economics editor Faisal Islam were kept upstairs in the shop’s staff canteen, Sir Keir and the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves took a tour of the supermarket speaking to staff.

GALLERY: Sir Keir Starmer's visit to Swindon supermarket in pictures

Eventually, the two politicians who might soon be the most powerful in the country made it upstairs to the room packed with camera and sound equipment to speak to the press and TV, with the theme of the day being the cost of living and the economy.

Sir Keir Starmer speaks to journalists in Swindon (Image: PA)

Asked about the cost of housing, most people’s largest expense, Sir Keir said: “We need that housing, it needs to be affordable.

"Some of the staff here are struggling to pay their mortgages and dealing with high rents, but we must have the services around it – schools and GPs integrated into the community properly.

“When that’s done, people are supportive of it, but what they don’t like is housing without the backup facilities.”

Labour candidate for Swindon South Heidi Alexander added “Swindon has expanded enormously in recent years, and some of the development has been good but some people are understandably worried about there being enough nurseries, GPs and leisure facilities.

“A future Labour government, through the planning obligations we place on developers, will ensure that social infrastructure as well as the hard infrastructure of roads will be there.

“For Swindon, we really need to focus on the town centre – we’ve got a huge number of empty sites and land that does need to be developed.

Rachel Reeves at Dorcan Morrisons in Swindon (Image: PA)

With Swindon Borough Council being repeatedly reported to be approaching a ‘financial cliff-edge’ every budget season, Sir Keir was asked about government funding for councils.

He said: “Many councils are struggling because of the failure of this government over many years. That means that lots of people are worried about the basic services they receive.

"We’re able to run the council now and make a better job of this moving forward, which is a really good thing, but it also needs an incoming government to help.

"Financial settlements for three years rather than one year would make a massive difference to the way they can use the money that’s available to them.

"Ending no-fault evictions would take a massive burden off the council as people who are convicted through no fault of their own end up relying on the council.

"I want to make sure that councils have the funding they need to provide the services that people are entitled to."

Sir Keir Starmer at Dorcan Morrisons in Swindon (Image: PA)

Will Stone, the Labour candidate for Swindon North weighed in: “As a local councillor, the lack of support we get from the Conservative administration is heartbreaking. I would like to see Kier’s four-year plan to try and invest because at the moment we have to apply for grants and funding, bid for that and miss out, which is wasted money and often forced on areas we don’t want.

“We had to have a bus boulevard – we were given £37 million but had to spend it on that, nobody wants that. We want to invest in the services we need.”

Swindon residents will be voting in three constituencies in the July 4 election. Most of the borough is divided between Swindon North and Swindon South constituencies.

The mostly rural areas of what had been South Swindon, including Wanborough, Wroughton and Chiseldon have been moved into the new constituency of East Wiltshire.

Also standing in Swindon North are Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson, the Green Party candidate Andy Bentley, Reform UK candidate Les Willis, Independent candidate Debbie Hicks. Trades Union and Socialist Coalition’s Scott Hunter and Liberal Democrat Flo Clucas

In Swindon South the other candidates are Conservative MP Robert Buckland, Green candidate Rod Hebden, the Lib Dem candidate Matt McCabe, Independent candidate Martin Costello and Reform UK’s Catherine Kosidowski.