Labour has “turned the tables” on the Conservatives on the economy, Keir Starmer has said.
The Labour leader said on Thursday that Rishi Sunak was living in “fantasy land” if he thought the economy was good territory for the Tories.
Starmer was speaking in Bristol where he delivered a speech setting out his stall at the start of the general election year.
“I’ve read that the Tories want to fight the election on this terrain, that they think their economic comfort zone still has some purchase.
“But let me tell you, what used to be their strength is now their weakness.
“If they want to fight on the economy - if they still think in some fantasy land this is strong territory of them - they don’t realise how much we have turned the tables now.
Starmer added: “We don’t just expect an election on the economy, we want an election on the economy.”
A YouGov poll on December 18 last year showed Labour led the Tories by 28% to 19% on who voters believed would be best at handling the economy.
Sunak is widely expected to call the general election in October or November, but he could also go early in May or delay it as late as January 2025.
The prime minister is facing a tactical voting pincer movement, with Labour hopeful of recapturing the northern so-called red wall seats it lost in 2019 and the Lib Dems coming back in the south.
The Tories are also under threat from the right, amid speculation Nigel Farage could return as leader of the Reform UK.