Sir Keir Starmer was met with groans and laughs from the audience as he told Beth Rigby his father was a toolmaker during Wednesday’s Sky News debate.
The Labour leader has repeatedly told voters about his childhood during the general election campaign.
When pressed on his current financial situation and if he would “personally” be happy to pay more tax, Sir Keir admitted he “earns a lot of money now”.
“But when I grew up, my dad was a toolmaker, he worked in a factory,” he added, drawing laughter with the repeated line.
“It’s true – my mum was a nurse – and we couldn’t make ends meet. Which is not a laughing matter.”
