ONE of the frontrunners in the Labour leadership contest served up meals to children at an Oxford community centre as he visited the city on the campaign trail.

Keir Starmer visited on Oxford on Wednesday, dishing out potatoes to kids at Rose Hill' Junior Youth Club, based at the estate's community centre.

He also toured the Oxford Science Park, before visiting the newly opened homeless shelter at Floyd's Row.

Speaking at Floyd's Row, Mr Starmer said: "What this visit absolutely shows is the huge inequality we have got across the whole of the UK. Here we have Oxford, a world renowned city for a very, very good reason, but alongside that you have got kids that are in poverty needing the after-school facility we visited. Many of them might not have otherwise had a decent meal."

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Mr Starmer also spoke about inequality across the country, describing the inequality 'baked-in' to UK society as a political choice by the Conservative government, which he believed could be changed under a future Labour government.

In his bid for party leadership, he said he wanted to retain the anti austerity policies of the party begun under Corbyn, while avoiding criticism of the Blair and Brown government's programme.

Oxford Mail:

Picture: Ed Nix.

Mr Starmer said: "I think we need to be relentlessly focussed on the future. The question we have to answer is what is the transformative programme for the 2020s, probably from 2024 onwards when we might get the next chance through to the 2030s.

"Labour wins when it is a forward looking-party that addresses the fundamental changes of the future and when people trust it to be that force for good and force for change."

He also addressed anti-Semitism in the Labour party and said there was no place for anti-Semitic people in the Labour party.

Mr Starmer said: "I want to make it absolutely clear that if you are anti-Semitic you should not be in the Labour party.

"I will take personal responsibility for this."

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Oxford East's Labour MP Anneliese Dodds was one of the parliamentarians who nominated Mr Starmer to compete in the leadership race.

In a statement Ms Dodds said she was supporting Mr Starmer 'because of his proven ability to communicate and empathise with people right across the UK, and because he is determined to tackle our unfair and unsustainable economy.'

Floyds Row, a former job centre off St Aldate's has been adapted by the city council to accommodate rough sleepers and 20 clients are expected to move in following its opening on Tuesday.

The new shelter is at the centre of the council's plans to transform services for people at risk of and experiencing homelessness across the county and will be run by staff from the St Mungo's charity.