Nigel Farage tore apart Sir Keir Starmer after he unveiled six pledges in a major pre-election speech today.

The former Ukip leader insisted there is "nothing new" in what the Labour leader set out at a campaign event in Essex.

The six "first steps" Labour would take if it were to win power include measures to invest in the NHS, education and policing, to set up a new national energy company and an elite border force, and to promote economic stability.

Speaking on his GB News show, Mr Farage said: "He told us that he would stick to tough spending rules in order to give us economic stability.

"He'd set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean power energy company.

"He'd cut NHS waiting lists by providing 40,000 more appointments each week funded apparently by tackling tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes.

"He'd launch a border security command to stop the gangs arranging small boat crossings.

"He'd provide another 6,500 neighbourhood police officers to reduce anti-social behaviour and there'd be new penalties for offenders.

"I tell you what's interesting about those six pledges, there is absolutely nothing new there at all.

"And this idea that somehow you remove tax breaks as they're seen for private schools and that gives you the money to recruit an extra 6,500 teachers, it's all nonsense.

"Yet everybody in politics and the media keeps asking the question how will you pay for it.

"And you would think literally that we take tax off one thing and give it to another, we don't, it's all baloney.

"Actually all the money, whether it's tax, whatever form of tax it is, national insurance, all goes into a central pot.

"We don't have what is known as hypothecation of taxes and anyway we don't run balanced budgets either. So that bit of it I find insufferable but don't worry Rishi Sunak does exactly the same thing."

Mr Farage went on to accuse Sir Keir of "apeing" former Labour premier Sir Tony Blair "in absolutely every way".

He said: "It was Blair back in 1997 that came up with the five-point pledge card.

"Compare and contrast the pictures of Blair with Starmer, there's Starmer today walking around the stage very much as Blair would have done, do you notice the shirt? And there's Tony Blair with his pledge card, that's very similar.

"And have a look at the sleeves rolled up image that's Keir Starmer today, let's go back to 1997 there's Tony Blair and it's absolutely identical.

"Now look there is an argument that if you find a winning formula you keep using it. But I just put this to you, this is Blair without the flair, this is almost a charisma-free zone."