UK Labour leader Starmer praises Thatcher in bid to woo UK Conservative voters

FILE PHOTO: Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 29, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, has praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a deeply unpopular figure among many Labour supporters, as he seeks to woo Conservative voters before an election expected next year.

Starmer, whose left-wing party is ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives by some 20 points in opinion polls, is seeking to cement that advantage by broadening Labour's appeal to attract voters who have spurned the party in national elections over the past 13 years.