Keir Starmer tests positive for Coronavirus ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions

Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has tested positive for coronavirus a day after a major speech setting out his vision for Britain’s future.

Sir Keir will miss Prime Minister’s Questions, with deputy leader, Angela Rayner, stepping in to face Boris Johnson.

The Labour leader previously tested positive for coronavirus on the day of the Budget in October.

Sir Keir is not thought to have any Covid-19 symptoms but the infection was picked up as part of his regular testing routine.

This latest positive test will mean it is the sixth period of self-isolation for the Labour leader since the start of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Sir Keir addressed an audience in Birmingham where he promised “straight leadership” based on the values of “security, prosperity and respect” if his party is returned to power.

While the Conservatives under Boris Johnson have forfeited the trust of voters, he said Labour cannot afford to be complacent and still has to earn the confidence of the public.

He repeatedly emphasised that Labour is a “patriotic party” and that his contract would be a “solemn agreement”, setting out how a good government should conduct itself.

“I am well aware that just because the Tories lose the public’s trust it doesn’t mean Labour simply inherits it. Trust has to be earned. I am confident but not complacent about the task ahead,” he said.

While the UK remains a “great place to live”, he said it is not unpatriotic to point out that the country has flaws.

“On the contrary, the reason we in this party want to correct those flaws is precisely because we are patriotic,” he said.

“I came into politics to make things happen, not just to talk about them. I don’t think politics is a branch of the entertainment industry. I think it’s the serious business of getting things done.

“But I’m afraid at the moment we are going backwards. We have a Prime Minister who thinks the rules apply to anyone but him.

“Just when trust in Government has become a matter of life and death, for the Prime Minister it has become a matter of what he can get away with.

“I have heard so many heartbreaking stories of people who missed family funerals because they were abiding by the rules. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was at a cheese and wine party in Downing Street.”