Labour leader Keir Starmer is preparing to set out his five "missions" which will form key pledges in the party's next general election manifesto as he promised to restore "pride and purpose" in the UK.

Starmer is expected to use a major speech in Manchester on Thursday to set out the pledges, and say that the country needed a "serious plan" to fix economic and societal issues.

The five "missions" are expected to flesh out the party's approach to major issues, including tackling debt and driving growth, while also helping fix the NHS backlog and addressing crime.

The set piece echoes Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s New Year speech to announce his own five priorities for the year, including reducing the deficit, improving growth, addressing issues in the health service and reducing the numbers of migrants crossing the Channel.

Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Starmer said Sunak's pledges were "sticking plaster politics" and promised a closer relationship with the public and private sector to "get the job done".

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Starmer said his plan would provide a framework for his party's election manifesto which would address the "fundamental" and help restore "pride and purpose" in the UK.

"The idea behind this is really based on the frustrations, the everyday frustrations that people have that almost nothing seems to be working, everything needs to be fixed and all we've really ever had for many years now is sticking-plaster politics